Coming Home
by sirena1
Summary: Only weeks before her wedding to Edward, Bella was called back to Phoenix by the news that her mother had been badly injured in an accident. After months of caring for Renee, Bella was devastated by her mother's death. Seven years later, Charlie is killed by vampires, and Bella is called back to Forks. Once there, she has to face her past, and her future.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, here we go again. After an 18 month sabbatical, I am here with a new story. We'll see how it goes. I'm taking a break between original novels to let my psyche heal, and hopefully you'll all reap the benefits.

Summary: In canon through most of Eclipse, then I take over. Two weeks before her wedding, Bella is called home to Phoenix because her mother is in a horrible car accident. After several months of caring for Renee, Bella is heart broken when her mother dies. Grief-stricken, she flees Phoenix and moved to New York for college. Seven years later, she is called back to Forks to bury her father, after he and Billy Black are murdered by vampires.

Rating: NC17 to be safe, likely going to be R, but I rate up to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have rights to any of the products of Stephanie Meyer's imagination. However, I do like to take her characters out of their world and into mine and play with them from time to time. In my world, sitting in a tree outside my bedroom window would get a vampire shot, and Bella is a bit stronger and not so codependent.

*Warning*- Before you read this story, there is MAJOR character death in it. Not the pack, but pretty major characters, and the entire driving force is to get to the death of another. If you're so attached to every character in the book that you can't stand to see anyone die, you might want to turn back. If not, accompany me on an adventure. I guarantee you know as much about where it's going to take us as I do.

The cliff was just the way she'd left it. Bella Swan stood on the top of the cliff, looking down at the choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean far beneath her. A brisk breeze cut through her leather jacket and chilled her to the bone, reminding her that it was October in Washington, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

It had been seven years since she'd stepped foot in the whole of the state. She'd been running from her past, from her memories, from all the people that she'd known. She'd put as much distance between them as was possible without leaving the country, and she'd never looked back. The only reason she'd come back this time was to take care of burying her father.

Tears stung her eyes at the thought of her dad, who had been found a week earlier, dead in a pool of blood, his throat nearly ripped out. Billy Black, his eternal fishing buddy, had been ten feet away, his body an identical sight. The police had called it a bear attack, but Bella knew the truth. The unspeakable, horrific truth that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

She heard the roar of an engine on the highway, the spray of gravel that told her someone was parking, and the crunch of the small pebbles under someone's feet. Still, she didn't move, didn't turn, didn't breathe. She just started out at the sea, and remembered what it was like to fall into it, to feel that moment of complete freedom as she careened toward the water before she hit it, and it closed around her like a vise that would never loosen.

"I wouldn't recommend jumping this time of year. It's practically suicide."

The warm, melodic voice rolled over her, enveloping her in the past, in memories she had struggled to forget. She felt it flow over her back, down her spine, into the pit of her stomach where it caused her gut to knot in a flock of butterflies. Slowly, she lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

"Never stopped me before." She turned, her hair swirling around her face in the wind, arms folded across her chest. "Hello, Jake."

Jacob Black, a mountain of a man at six foot five, was shocked. It showed on his face, in the set of his jaw, dark with a two day stubble, and in his eyes, still the melted chocolate she remembered. He had filled out even more if it was possible in the eight years since she'd seen him, becoming a man instead of a boy. His hair was slightly too long, hanging around his face in waves that begged to have fingers run through them. His face was one that should have made an Angel jealous, with sharp cheekbones, full lips, slashing eyebrows and dark chocolate eyes.

His shoulders, while still wide, no longer looked awkward on his frame, especially when contained in a black button down. His hips were narrow, but strong, and his legs wide set, clad in dark blue jeans that hugged his hips and legs, leading down to worn in and scuffed boots.

"Bella?"

"In the flesh." She rubbed her palms on her thighs, the slightly rough denim keeping her grounded. She rolled a pebble underneath the toe of her boot, focusing on anything except the memories. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question." He took a step toward her, felt a pang of satisfaction when she backed up one. "You hadn't spoken to your father in the best part of a decade. Why the hell do you bother to show up now?"

The barb hit home, as he'd meant it to, and she blinked back tears. "That's not fair."

"What about it isn't fair? You left, you never came back, and the last time I talked to Charlie, the last five of his Christmas cards came back return to sender."

Jacob was hurting. Bella could see that in his face, in the raw grief that darkened his eyes to nearly black. His father had been murdered by the very creatures Bella had wanted to join. She couldn't blame him for being mad at her, for blaming her.

"Jake, there's a lot that went on, a lot that you don't know, and now is not the time to get into it. I was going to come see you this afternoon to discuss the funeral. What they would want. I think they'd want to do it together."

Shock registered in Jacob's eyes, followed by a flash of intense anger. "You're one of _them, _Bella. Coming on the reservation breaks the treaty. You'd start a war."

Realization dawned, and Bella couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her chest. She bent, bracing her hands on her knees, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe, until tears poured down her face and her cheeks were red and flushed. Jacob stood and watched, his hands on his hips.

"What the hell do you think is so damn funny about this?"

"You think I'm a vampire!" she straightened, dashed the tears from her cheeks. "My God, you think I'm a vampire." She strode to him, reached down and grabbed his hand, pressing it to her chest. "I'm not a vampire. My heart is still beating."

Jacob felt her pulse beneath his fingertips, the warmth of her skin. "You disappeared. No one knew where you'd gone. We thought, we all thought they'd turned you, that you were one of them."

"I didn't disappear. My mom was hit by a drunk driver. I went to Phoenix to take care of her. She lived eight months after I left. When she died, I was broken. I ran. I ran from everything, from everyone. I stopped talking to my dad, to everyone."

Jacob struggled to process that, to take in everything she was saying. He'd spent seven years trying to forget that Bella Swan had ever existed, because if she was a vampire, for him, she was dead. But instead of her being a vampire, she was human. And once he knew, it was amazing to him that he hadn't immediately known it when he'd looked at her.

She was older, obviously older. She'd filled out, grown another two inches, and put on probably close to twenty five pounds. Instead of being slim and boyish, she filled out her jeans in all the places a woman was supposed to, and had developed curves. Her face held a maturity that it hadn't before, and her eyes held pain, more pain that he'd ever seen in them before.

"Why didn't you turn?"

Bella shook her head. "This isn't the time for this conversation." She shivered against the wind, turned back to look back over the cliff. "I saw you guys jumping that day. Before I did it. It looked like fun, and it looked exhilarating. It was scary as hell, and I thought I was going to die, but those few seconds, when you're in the air, and you're flying? They're the most freeing seconds I've ever experienced."

Confused, Jacob walked to the edge to stand next to her. "What's going on, Bella?"

"I didn't come here to kill myself. I didn't come here to jump. I needed to work up the nerve to come up the La Push and find you."

"This is about more than the funeral. What is it?"

Tears choking her, she closed her eyes and took several breaths. "I didn't stop talking to my dad because I wanted to. I love my dad, I wanted to be here. But I was putting him in danger by being here."

"Danger from what?"

Bella looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "He was killed by vampires, Jake. Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"Bella, the pack found the vampires that did it. We killed them. Dad and Charlie, they were in their fishing cabin. They were alone, and they were easy prey." He sighed. "I think you're right. They'd want to be buried together. Dad is going to have a traditional funeral. The Quileute way. A procession, and us in traditional dress, then the fire. If you want that for Charlie, we'll do it for him too. My Dad would want it. He was a part of the tribe."

Bella nodded. "I think he'd like that."

"I'll take care of it. It's tomorrow at dawn. It'll be a day long thing." He turned to leave, got halfway back to his motorcycle and stopped. "Bella?"

She turned, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

"I don't think I have to say it, but the Cullens are not welcome on the reservation. That extends to the funeral. It will not go well if they show up."

Bella nodded. "Don't worry. They won't be there."

With that, Bella turned back to stare into the water, and Jacob continued toward his bike. When she heard the roar of the engine dissipate as he got further away, only then did she allow herself to crumble to the ground, tears overtaking her, sobs wracking her frame and making it hard to breathe.

She didn't know how many hours it had been before she forced herself to climb to her feet and walk back to her car. What she saw when she got there had her heart threatening to burst free from her chest.

A note on her windshield, with a single red rose laying on it. Hands shaking, she reached out and plucked the sheet of paper from the glass, closing her eyes for a long moment before working up the nerve to unfold it.

_Bella,_

_I told you not to come back here. I told you to stay away from the mutts. I warned you what would happen if you did. I gave you chance after chance, my love, to do the right thing. I told you that I would always find you. That I would always love you. That I would always bring you to me for forever. _

_You've made your decision. They'll all die. And you'll be mine. For eternity._

_Always,_

_E._

"What the hell do you mean Bella is still human?" Sam Uley sat back in his chair, his infant son cradled in his arm, disbelief in his eyes. "She was turned years ago!"

"I saw her, Sam. She's human." Jacob picked up his cup of coffee, drank deeply. "She came back to deal with the funeral. She wants him to be with my Dad. I told her it was okay."

"It's what they would have wanted. I have no issue with that. Charlie was a good man, and he was good for the pack. Billy would want us to take care of him in our way. But Bella being here is going to bring nothing but drama."

"She's human. She's allowed on the reservation."

"I'm not saying she can't come. I'm wondering if it's smart for her to come. We've all thought she was dead all these years. Her being here, being human, it raises a lot of questions. Why is she human? Where are the Cullens?"

"I know. They're questions that need answers. But I don't think it's right to get into it before we put Dad and Charlie to rest." He sighed, pushed down the sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. "We have to tell everyone now that she's going to be there. We can't let it be a surprise when she walks in tomorrow morning."

"I agree. It's not right to spring it on the pack. I don't know how people will react. There're a lot of hard feelings, Jake. Time will have eased some of them, but they'll still be there. She hurt you badly. It took years before you were back to normal."

"I know. And I haven't forgiven her. I can't believe she wanted to be a vampire. She wanted to die." He shook his head in disgust. "I'm not a teenager anymore, Sam. I know who I am, and what I am, and I'm not going to get confused. She made her choices. And if she wants to talk about it, I'll talk about it, because I think I want to know what changed. But I'm not head over heels for her anymore. She left, I stayed."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "I'm very curious as to why she's still alive. And where the Cullens are, if they're not with her. Once things settle down a little bit, we'll need to talk to her about it."

"I agree." Jacob stood, put his cup in the sink. "I'll take care of telling everyone. I'm the one they'll want to quiz anyway."

Sam was quiet as Jacob left, waited until Emily came downstairs and took a seat across from him. He smiled at his wife, sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough. What do you think?"

"That he's trying to convince himself as much as me that things are as different as he claims." He lifted his son to his shoulder, patted the tiny back reassuringly. "Bella Swan is back in Forks. I would be willing to bet that the boy is as tied up on her as he was in high school within six weeks."

"She's not a bad girl. She was in love, and she was confused. If she's still human, she's obviously realized she was wrong."

"For all our sakes, Emily, I hope to God that you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sick of waiting for Twilighted. I get more reviews on here anyway. From now on out, give me 30 reviews and the next chapter goes up. If I don't get the reviews, updates on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Enjoy. And the next chapter has a bit of J/B deliciousness, so it's in your best interest to review! I have 23 chapter DONE on this. You want to read them all, don't you?

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Chapter Two

A Quileute funeral was an event to behold, filled with chanting and music and dancing. The members of the tribe wore traditional headdresses and had painted their bodies to indicate that they were mourning. The high priest performed a ritual to free the souls of the dead, and both Charlie and Billy were carried on a stretcher like contraption, with six members of the pack for each.

Bella wore a sedate black suit with a silver blouse underneath. She didn't know how the men could stand the cold wind with no shirts on, and wearing feathered pants made out of deer hide, but they didn't even seem to be cold. And when the shaman had her come up to the front, and waved incense all over her, offering blessings on Charlie's soul, she let the tears flow, let them chart paths down her cheeks, drip off her chin and onto the dirt. Jacob, standing next to her, between her and his sisters, stared stonily forward, accepting the blessings silently, his eyes hard and flat.

Jacob had Rachel and Rebecca, their families. He'd lost his father, but he still had his sisters, as distant as they were. Bella had lost everything. She had no mother, no father, no brothers or sisters. She had no friends, no husband, no children. So when she cried for the loss of her father, she also cried for herself. She had nothing. Her choices had taken it all away from her, and she had no one to blame but herself.

The fires rose up to engulf the bodies, and the tribe chanted around her, their voices melodic, their song one of sorrow and letting go. The words rolled over her, the scent of the incense they burned was nearly too much to bear. When Embry touched her elbow, she shook herself out of her trance and offered him a weak smile.

"Part of this is a celebration of their lives. There's a lot of food on the beach, there'll be music, dancing, singing. You should come. For Charlie."

Bella shook her head. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Everyone's been so generous to let me be here. I don't want to overstay the welcome."

"He's your dad. You should be there." He tugged on her arm insistently. "No one will say anything. Jake came to talk to us all last night. It's been a long time, Bella. Not even we can hold onto a grudge indefinitely. We all survived it, no long term damage."

"Are you sure?"

Quil appeared on her other side, his face open and welcoming. "We're sure. Come on, Bella, come with us." He slipped her arm through his. "Go on ahead, Embry. I want to talk to Bella for a minute before the food."

Embry nodded, unconcerned, and loped up the beach. Bella, her nerves obvious from the look on her face, drew to a stop. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, I was just wondering why you spent the night sleeping in your SUV in front of the reservation high school."

Bella lowered her gaze to the ground, her mind racing for an answer. Finally, unable to come up with a believable lie, she decided on the truth. "Because there isn't a hotel in La Push."

"Why aren't you staying at your Dad's house? Charlie left everything to you, Bella. It's your house now."

She sighed, her stomach knotting in a mass of nausea. "I'd rather not get into it today. I just don't feel right staying there without him. It's too empty, too quiet. I just didn't want to. And I had to be here so early for the funeral that it made sense to just stay here and sleep for a few hours."

Quil looked down at her, his eyes searching her face. "You're lying." It wasn't a question. "If you don't want to tell me, fine, but tell someone. If there's something going on, we can help you."

Tears welled in her eyes. "You have no reason to help me. None of you do. Jake hates me, I know the rest of you have to."

"You think Jake hates you?" Quil laughed in disbelief. "He doesn't hate you. We don't hate you. You were our friend, and you left in the middle of the night. Within a week, the Cullens were gone too. We all thought you'd been changed, that you were dead, a vampire. We're all damn curious about why you still have a heartbeat, but I don't think anyone hates you."

Bella wiped her face. "So many things have changed."

Quil shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Everything that matters is exactly the same as it was when you left. We grew up some, added some kids, but we're all the same." He smiled. "Jacob is still the same. He's hurt, he's grieving, but deep down, he's still the same Jake he was when he was sixteen and so stuck on you he couldn't see straight. So before you make any decisions, you need to know that. If you stick around, you'll end up doing the dance with Jake again. If Edward is still in the picture at all, you need to leave after this is over. For his sake. We love ya, Bella, but that's the one thing we can't take. We won't let you use him again."

Bella leaned her head against Quil's arm. "You're a good guy, Quil. You always have been. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here for my Dad. And I'm not with Edward. I haven't been in a long time." She sighed. "I didn't come to start anything back up with Jake. I don't want anyone to think that's my intention. I am not here to make things the way they used to be."

Quil nodded. "Good enough for me." He tugged on her arm. "Let's go eat. "

It seemed like the day flew. People ate, talked, danced, sang, and sometimes cried. They shared memories, pictures, stories. It was unlike any funeral Bella had ever been to, and when she watched the sun sink below the horizon, she found herself smiling. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced, but she preferred it a thousand times over. Funerals weren't for the dead, they were for the living, and the living needed to grieve, and to remember. A Quileute funeral allowed for celebration of life, for happiness mixed in with the tears.

She had laughed, she had cried, she'd been swung around on the dance floor by Seth, and Embry and Quil. Each time one of them grabbed her hand and dragged her back out, she was reminded that things were exactly the same and completely different all at once. Sue Clearwater had hugged her tightly, telling her they were glad to see her. Leah was cold as always, though it was an indifferent coolness instead of the heat of active hate. Sam was polite and distant, normal for him, and Emily had been warm and welcoming, inviting Bella over for lunch the next afternoon.

Jacob was the only one who had not so much as approached her. He moved through the crowd of people gracefully, talking to relatives and other members of the tribe. He picked up Rachel's son, held his nephew and tossed the boy up in the air, swinging him back down into the sand, making him giggle. Bella found herself watching him, taking in everything that he did. He was so different, so much older, and yet so exactly the same.

He turned, saw her watching, and offered a tight smile. But he didn't walk over, didn't lift a hand to wave. Bella lowered her eyes, embarrassed at being caught staring and hurt because the Jacob she'd known in high school would have run right over to talk to her. Another reminder that they were no longer teenagers.

People were starting to leave, and Bella felt a ball of panic start to form in her stomach as she thought about where she was going to spend the night. She knew she couldn't leave the reservation, but her paper thin excuse about the funeral had barely held up for one night. It would not hold for two. She knew there was no choice, but had no idea how she would be able to explain sleeping in her car on the reservation if anyone saw her.

If she went back down to Forks, she would die. Forks wasn't safe, her father's house wasn't safe, and she knew that if she left the reservation, left the protection of the pack, she would have to run, and never stop running. And she was tired of running. She'd been doing it for four years, barely staying ahead, relying on others to keep her breathing. He would never stop coming, not until he drained every drop of blood in her body.

Her apprehension building, she watched the crowd thin from her seat near the bonfire. She saw Quil standing at the edge of the gathering, watching her. She knew he was waiting to see if she went home. She waited until Embry had walked over to ask Quil about something or another, and took the opportunity to dash up the beach to her SUV. By the time Quil turned to look for her, she was back on the main road, and out of sight.

She drove around the reservation aimlessly for three hours. She knew she couldn't go back to the school parking lot, as that was the first place Quil would check. She resigned herself for looking for something to rent the next morning, and mentally went over the money in her bank account. She knew if she needed more, all she had to do was call and ask, but doing that made her feel terrible. There was money in Charlie's account, which was now technically hers, and money from life insurance that she would be getting. It would buy her time. Precious time to figure out what she needed to do.

They couldn't kill him, couldn't bring themselves to do it, and she understood that. They were trying to keep her safe, keep him away from her, but they wouldn't kill him. And he was fast, and sneaky, and always a step ahead. He had lured her back to Forks, slaughtered her father, and she knew, deep down in her gut, she knew that this would be the place in which it all ended. One of them would die. All she could do was pray that it wasn't her.

Exhausted, she finally parked when the clock told her it was past midnight. She chose a spot in the back of the parking lot of the automotive garage, where she hoped the absence of street lights would shield her from notice. She turned off the engine, climbed into the back, and promptly passed out.

Three hours later, she was jerked from sleep by someone pounding on her window. Sleepy, panicked, she shot into a sitting position, slamming her head against the roof of the SUV. Blinking to clear her eyes, she looked around, and her heart leaped into her throat. Jacob stood outside the window, wearing flannel sleep pants and a sweatshirt, his hair mussed, and his face angry. Feeling sheepish, nervous, and scared, she unlocked the door and opened it, stepping out onto the concrete, the cold making her shiver.

"Hey, Jake. What's going on?"

"Real cute, Bella. Why in the hell are you sleeping in your car? Quil called me, said you were sleeping in the parking lot of the shop, and that last night, it was the school parking lot. Some bullshit story about the funeral and not wanting to stay at Charlie's." he leaned against the car, blocking her escape route. "So why don't you tell me, Bella Swan, why I am getting my ass dragged out of bed at three in the fucking morning to come down here and find you sleeping in your car like a hobo?"

Bella opened her mouth, closed it, looked up at him, at the face she knew so well, at the eyes that had, at one point, made her melt. Instead of shining with love and adoration for her, they were alive with anger and confusion. It was too much. Too much to ask her to handle, too much to deal with. The sob tore its way from her chest with a ragged sound, doubling her over and stealing her breath. Jacob stood silently, waiting for her to get herself under control. Finally, she straightened, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Tell me what's going on, Bella."

Bella took a deep breath, and said out loud what she had never before had the nerve to utter. "If I leave the reservation, Edward is going to kill me."


	3. Chapter 3

You guys got close. I got 23 reviews for the last chapter, which is GREAT! Today is Wednesday, so here is your regularly scheduled chapter. Again, I will be posting on Wednesday and Saturday every week UNLESS I get 30 reviews for the most recent chapter, in which case, to reward all my lovely readers for giving me the feedback I crave, I will post an EXTRA chapter the day I hit 30. So this 30 review thing will not affect my regular posting schedule and this is not a manner in which you have to "earn" chapters. I don't really do that.

So, enjoy the taste of J/B actions and let me know what you think!

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Billy's house was exactly like she remembered it. The small kitchen, the clutter, the old television set in the living room and the well worn couch that she'd spent countless afternoons lying on. Jacob had driven her car back to his house, marched her inside, and sat her down at the kitchen table. He'd given her five minutes of silence while he perked a pot of coffee and sat a plate of cookies someone had baked for the funeral on the table. Once they each had a cup in front of them, he looked at her expectantly.

"Explain."

One word held a strong command that Bella found that she unable to resist. She hadn't ever been able to tell anyone what had happened, and knowing that Jacob would believe her, that he would help her, it spurred her to tell him everything.

"I left two weeks before the wedding. Everyone thought that I ran away with the Cullens. I didn't. I went to my Mom in Phoenix to take care of her. The Cullens left Forks, let everyone think that, but they didn't go to Phoenix. It's too difficult for them to live there with all the sun. They went north to Alaska. We kept in touch, I flew there a couple times to see them, but after my mom died, everything changed.

"It was like I woke up one morning and I wasn't in love with him anymore. Nothing had happened. No fight, nothing. I just realized that I had healed. When he left the first time, I healed. I stopped thinking about him all the time; I stopped needing him like I had. And when I went to be with Mom, it was easier. I was fine without him around, I was enjoying my mom, and when she died, I was devastated. I'd thought she was getting better, but then she was just gone. And I ran away. I left Phoenix, moved to New York, went to college.

"We never officially broke up, now that I think about it, but we weren't together. Alice came to visit, Carlisle and Esme, even Edward a time or two. We were friendly, but the spark was gone. It had faded, gone back to friendship, at least for me. He didn't have the same epiphany. He started pushing me, trying to get me back, offering to change me. I refused. I'd grown out of the wish. Somewhere along the line, I started enjoying being human. I liked going out in the sun, being able to taste food, everything about it.

"Then, the Volturi got involved. They're the vampiric high counsel, in Italy. They wanted me turned. The Cullens had promised them I would be, and they made it clear if I wasn't, I was to be killed. Carlisle sent me away, to Argentina, where he thought I'd be safe. They gave me money, a home, everything I needed. And for about eight months, it worked. Then, the Volturi sent a guard to the Cullens, and they captured Edward. They took him back to Volterra, and they tortured him. For months they tortured him, trying to get him to tell them where I was. But he didn't know, not exactly, so he couldn't tell, and the Volturi couldn't see it in his mind. That's when Jane got involved.

"Jane is the worst vampire of them all. She can put you in agonizing pain with a thought. She is more powerful than anyone you've ever met. She drove Edward crazy, conditioned him to find me, to turn me, or to kill me. They broke his mind, took away everything about him that I had loved, everything that made him Edward. They turned him into a monster. And when they were sure that he would do what he was told, they let him go.

"That was three years ago. He's been after me ever since. I've been running, trying to stay away from him. Carlisle has tried to help him. Twice they've caught him and managed to hold him for a few weeks. But they can't stand the thought of killing him. Alice warns me when he's close, and I hit the road. Without her, I'd be dead. Two weeks ago, she had a vision, of Edward in Forks, holding my father hostage. He'd told me when he first left Volterra that if I ever came back here, came to the pack, he'd kill my Dad. But eventually, he used that to lure me here, the same way that Victoria and Laurent lured me with my mom. And I came. I left Australia, where Carlisle had sent me, and I headed back here. When I got to Chicago, I got the call that Dad was dead. It wasn't Edward, but it was two of the muscle that the Volturi uses. I knew that he wanted me to come back here, but I couldn't miss my Dad's funeral. So I came anyway. And I stayed on the reservation because I knew if I was here, then Edward couldn't find me, or even if he could, I don't think he would risk coming on the reservation with all the wolves around.

"I don't have anywhere else to go, Jake. If I leave, he will kill me. If I run, they'll catch me eventually. I can't leave, or I'm dead." She blinked back tears. "I don't want to die. I thought it could wait a few days, let things settle down. I knew I had to tell the pack, but I didn't even know if you would help me. I thought everyone hated me. But I knew you were my last chance. The Cullens can't kill him, they can't stand the thought. And he's not evil, this isn't his fault. They broke him, they made him crazy, they brainwashed him. But it doesn't change reality. If I step foot outside La Push, they will come for me."

Jacob was silent for a long time, mulling over the situation. Finally, he laid his hands on the table, stared at Bella intensely. "You had to know the only possible outcome from asking for my help is that Edward Cullen dies."

Bella nodded miserably. "I don't want him to have to die. He was trying to protect me. But yes, I know that the only way this ends is if either I die, or he does." She cleared her throat. "And if he dies, the Volturi will come for me. They will want me turned or dead."

Jacob nodded. "If they do that, they'll meet the same fate as Cullen. No one comes here and threatens anyone." He stood, ending the conversation. "I'll talk to the pack about it in the morning. You can sleep in the twins' room."

"You don't have to let me stay here. I know it has to be uncomfortable for you." She reached for her coat. "Really, I'm fine in the Tahoe."

"You're not sleeping in your damn car. There are three beds in this house not being used. Sleep in one of them." He raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, it's awkward having you here. But we're not kids anymore, and we need to act our ages. I'm not sixteen with my head in the clouds. I know the score, and I've accepted it. There's a lot to think about and a lot to talk about, but I've never been mad enough at you that I'd let you sleep outside in the cold."

Bella carried their cups to the sink, looked at the clock. Five seventeen. "It's too late to sleep for me. I think I'll just go for a walk if you don't mind."

Jacob sighed. "You're bound and determined to make this as difficult as possible, aren't you?"

She sighed. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say, or how to act, or who to talk to. I never thought I'd come back here. I never thought I'd see you again. I never thought I'd have to sit here and make conversation and pretend that I didn't hurt you!" she swore as she realized she was again on the verge of tears. "Dammit, Jake, I'm sorry!"

Jacob leaned against the doorway. "It's not entirely your fault, not really. We were young, and we were stupid, and mistakes were made on both sides. Maybe if I'd been a little more supportive, more understanding, you wouldn't have stayed away."

"And if I'd been more honest, maybe I wouldn't have hurt you so badly."

"I didn't want to hear it. I was convinced that if I could just make you see him for who I thought he was that I'd win in the end. But it wasn't a contest. It was your heart. I was hormone driven and had been carrying a torch for you since I was nine years old, and those months he was gone, I thought I had a chance." He looked at her, and she saw sadness in his eyes. "Tell me one thing. If he hadn't come back, would I have had a chance?"

Bella crossed the room, lifted her hand to lay it against his cheek. "You always had a chance." She offered him a smile. "I had feelings for you then. You were my best friend, and I loved you. I just loved him more."

"Do you still love him?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't. I got over him. I moved on. The time that I spent with Edward, I will always cherish it. But I don't love him. Not anymore. It's hard to love someone when their only purpose in life is to kill you." She moved past him into the living room, dropped onto the couch. "Since we're laying everything out there, can I ask you something?"

Jacob sat in the reclining chair. "Shoot."

"Did you ever imprint?"

"No." he bent to untie his boots, slipped them off. "I told you before that I'm not going to imprint."

"I thought all wolves do."

"I'm not going to. I know it. I don't know how, but I know." He leaned back, studied her. "I'll take you to Forks tomorrow if you want, to go through some of your Dad's things. You'll need to decide what to do with the house."

Bella shook her head. "Sell it, burn it to the ground. I don't care what gets done with it so long as I don't have to live there."

"Because of what Edward did?"

"Because of me. Everything that went on there, all the memories, all the turmoil, it's too much. It'd be living in a house filled with ghosts." She smiled sadly. "Plenty of good memories, but more bad I think. But you're right. I need to deal with my Dad's things. I'd appreciate it." She glanced toward the door to Billy's room. "I'll help with Billy's stuff if you need."

"My sisters took care of it already. It's like they erased Dad from the house."

"He left it to you?"

"Yeah. They get the life insurance, I get the house. It equals out."

"Jake?"

"Bella?"

"Where do we go from here, you and I? Is there any coming back from what I did to you? Any way that you could find it in you to forgive me?"

"I didn't think so. I thought that if you ever came back, I'd have to kill you. The thought of you being dead, being one of them, it haunted me all these years. I loved you. I wanted life for you, and I thought that we would live it together. I was very angry at you, and hurt, and heartbroken. But I got over it, and I moved on, and I moved past it. When I saw you yesterday, realized you were still human, it made everything come rushing back. All those feelings I thought I didn't have any more, all those emotions I had worked so hard to get rid of. You were eighteen years old. You were a kid. I can't hold what you did at eighteen against you at twenty five. So, yeah, I forgive you. But only if you forgive me too. I was an ass back then."

Bella laughed, the laugh tinged with tears. "I was never mad at you. Consider yourself forgiven." She smiled when he stood and opened his arms, went into them willingly, sighed in happiness when they closed around her. His heat enveloped her, and she rested her head on his solid chest, the sound of his heart in her ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes and breathed in his smell, leather and spice, and _Jacob._

"You grew a couple inches."

She laughed at his observation, tilted her head to look up at him. "I did. Last minute growth spurt gave me three inches. Had to do something to balance out the extra thirty pounds."

Suddenly serious, he met her gaze. "You're beautiful. When you turned around on the cliff and I saw you, you took my breath away. You grew up. Life looks good on you, Bells."

_Bells. _That was all it took for the dam to break and all the emotions she was feeling to come flooding out. Before she could stop herself, before he knew what was happening, she'd slid her arms around his neck and lifted up onto her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his. His lips were warm and firm, just like she remembered, and she wanted desperately to know if he still tasted the same as he had that night in the tent.

Jacob was shocked when she kissed him, and he froze. Her mouth was cooler than his, and smooth, her breath warm against his face. Her hands were small and soft on the back of his neck, and he could feel every curve pressed against his body. Before he could shake off the shock to respond, she was stepping away, hurt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I must've misread." She backed up, heading for the stairs. "It won't happen again, I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go to bed."

"Bella."

She stopped on the fourth step, looked back at him. "Jake, I'm sorry. I thought, and I was wrong."

"You weren't wrong." He strode to the bottom of the steps, laid his hands on her hips and lifted her off her feet. "You just caught me off guard. I didn't think we were going there." He slid his hands around to her backside, urged her to wrap her legs around his waist, their chests pressed together. "I used to dream of the day that you'd kiss me, Bella Swan, and when it finally got here, I screwed it up. I just need to know one thing before we finish this."

Breathless, Bella nodded. "What?"

"Is this real? You and me? Or is it grief and fear and old memories coloring it all?"

Bella searched his eyes, those pools of melting chocolate, laid her hands on his face. "Jacob Black, I have never, even at my worst, pretended to feel something that I didn't. I told you from the start that I was in love with Edward, and that I was falling in love with you too. So believe me when I tell you that when I heard your voice yesterday, when I saw you standing there, I knew I wasn't just running away from Edward. I was also running to you."

When he kissed her, it was coming home. It was as if everything snapped into focus, and the world was suddenly clear. Everything spun away until all that was left was Jacob. She wound her fingers into his hair, splaying them on his scalp, and she felt a slow burn start somewhere deep in her stomach.

His tongue was soft and demanding against hers, tangling with it, his mouth insistent and firm, his hands big and hot through her jeans. She groaned into his mouth, pressed herself feverishly against him. His hands travelled up her body, glided over her sides, up to frame her face as he slowly drew back. Her eyes were cloudy with passion, and her breathing was heavy. The evidence of his desire was hard and hot against her, and when she shifted, they both groaned.

"I thought seven years would at least dull it."Jacob dipped his head, ravaged her mouth again. When he lifted his head that time, they were both panting. "Good God, Bella, I never thought we'd be here. I thought I'd lost you."

Bella lowered her head to his shoulder, rubbed her nose on his neck. "I'm not going anywhere. Not this time." She unwound her legs, felt her feet hit the floor. "But it brings up a lot of questions."

"Let me take you on a date."

The words were out before he realized he'd said it, and once he did, he felt ridiculous. But Bella smiled, the first genuine smile he'd seen since she'd gotten back. "A date? Like dinner and a movie?"

Committed to it, Jacob nodded. "Sure. We'll go to Port Angeles, have a nice dinner, watch a movie, and walk around. I don't want to have a big conversation about where we are and where we're going, and what that was. I don't want to try to figure it all out. I just want it to happen. Let's see where we go." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What do you say, want to go on an adventure with me?"

Bella smiled up at him, her eyes shining. "I'd love to. How's Friday sound?"

It sounded like the longest six days of his life.


	4. Chapter 4

25 reviews and the next chapter goes up. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Sam Uley may have been the Alpha of La Push, but Emily Young was obviously the reigning Queen. Bella came to that conclusion the second she walked into the Uley house to find Emily running herd over the best part of a dozen shapeshifters, wielding a wooden spoon like a sword, and dressing down Paul and Jared over something about muddy pawprints. They looked absolutely terrified, amusing Bella to no end.

Emily turned when she heard Bella came in, smiled brightly. "Come on in. I'm making lunch for us now." She gestured to a wine rack. "Pick a bottle. We'll have soup, wine and girl talk."

Much more coordinated than she had been in high school, Bella selected a bottle, quickly uncorked it and poured two glasses. When Jared reached for one of the glasses, she swatted his hand. "No you don't. No wolf interference today."

Jared pouted. "Back three days and already acting like you run the place." He sighed, patted her head. "You're lucky Jake likes you so much."

Paul scoffed. "No, she's lucky she's still alive. Vampire girl might end up being Wolf girl after all." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Remember, Bella, we know everything that happens between you and Jake. As soon as he phases, we're in on it. And I have pretty good intel that you stayed the night as his house last night."

Jacob cleared his throat, and both of the wolves jumped about six feet. He stood just inside the door, arms crossed over his chest, eyes hot. "Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a private life. Where Bella sleeps, or with whom, is none of your business. Now get your asses out here, we have a pack meeting. If you'd bother to pay attention instead of horsing around like you're fifteen, you'd already know why she stayed at my house. Edward Cullen is in Forks, and he's here to kill Bella."

Oblivious, Paul sighed. "And that surprises you, why? She's wanted him to kill her for years."

"I didn't say change, Paul. I said kill. He has no intention of turning her into a vampire. He had my father and Charlie killed to lure her here."

At that, Paul and Jared both stood, their faces suddenly going serious. With a long look at one another, they followed Jacob back out the door. Emily took it all in, then crossed to Bella, picked up the bottle of wine.

"I suspect we're going to go through a few of these. We'll talk in the living room." She gracefully pocketed the corkscrew, then snagged two more bottles in her other hand. "Grab the glasses, would you?"

Obediently, and in awe of the older woman, Bella followed, glasses in hand. She looked back over her shoulder, watched the door swing shut, knowing that there was about to be a very heated discussion about what, if anything, the pack should do.

As if reading her mind, Emily smiled. "Don't worry. Paul is harmless. And he doesn't hate you, either. He's just a bit slower to trust than some of the others, and it doesn't help that Rachel is no fan of yours, being Jake's older sister and all, but he isn't going to try to talk them out of helping you."

"How much do you know?"

"Most of it." She admitted that with a small smile. "Jacob came over and talked to Sam while you were in the shower this morning. Sam filled me in while he was calling in the troops." She offered the plate of sandwiches. "Eat up. You barely picked at your food yesterday."

"Didn't really feel much like eating."

"Funerals are tough. Especially ours. People don't know what to do. Laugh or cry. We celebrate and grieve at the same time. But I've found that it's closer to life that way. It's not like one day you can just suddenly stop crying and start laughing. A funny memory will always make you laugh, but it might make you cry too, because you miss them so much."

"I loved my Dad. I wanted to come and see him, but I couldn't. Not once everything happened with the Volturi and Edward."

"You stayed away to protect him, Bella. If you hadn't, he would have died years ago. And Charlie was not unhappy. He missed you, but he got your letters. He would always brag about you when I saw him, about the places that you were seeing, the things that you were doing. We purposely didn't tell Jake, well, because we all thought you were a vampire and that was the reason, but the sentiment was the same." Emily sipped her wine thoughtfully. "God that's good. I haven't had any alcohol in eighteen months."

Bella lifted her eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Pregnant and then nursing. But Levi weaned completely about three weeks ago. Too many teeth to want me anymore." She rolled her eyes. "I won't pretend to be heartbroken. Teeth hurt!"

The women laughed, and Bella found that the tension was broken. "Where is the baby?"

"With Sue. She gets lonely there by herself and borrows him from time to time. She loves having a baby to fuss over, and truth be told, I enjoy a day off every once in a while." She leaned back into the couch, crossed her legs casually. "How are you, Bella?"

"Confused. Tired. Sad. I have so many emotions right now that I don't know how to make heads or tails of them."

"I can only imagine how you must feel. How are you handling the Edward situation? It must be difficult with how you felt about him?"

Bella took a gulp of the wine. "I loved him. A long time ago. It's hard to find any affection for someone who wants to rip your head off, possibly literally." She sighed. "I know this is important for you guys to know, so I won't be offended that you're trying to get information out of me. The years that I spent with Edward were bittersweet. I was young, and enamored, and he was everything I thought I wanted. He was exotic and beautiful, and I thought their life looked wonderful and like a big adventure. Then when I went to my Mom's, I realized pretty quickly that I had healed from the hurt of him leaving. Jacob was the reason that I was able to heal. I drifted away from them over those months with my mom. Every time they visited, or the couple times I flew to see them, it was different. Eventually, Alice told me she no longer saw me as one of them. I realized I didn't either. But I was so desperate to be in love with him that I held on to it. He started pressuring me to turn, to let him do it. Then, my mom died.

"When Mom died, it was like my world upended. She and I had gotten so close, and I'd really thought she was getting better. One morning I woke up, and went to check on her, and she was dead in her bed. An aneurysm. The doctors think it got shaken loose when she had the accident. No way to know where it came from, only that it ended up in her brain. They tell me she never felt it, but it still destroyed me. I grieved hard, and it made me realize that by turning into a vampire, I would put the people who loved me through what I was feeling. And that if I wasn't going to turn, I was doing nothing more than leading Edward on, and that he deserved more than that.

"I left for college three weeks later. NYU to study English. The Cullens followed me. Edward kept trying to convince me to be turned and when I finally got up the nerve to tell him I wanted to stay human, he was upset. He begged to turn me, and when I refused, he even threatened me. Carlisle interfered then, and they left. I didn't see them for over a year. Then, Carlisle called me, told me what was going on. The Volturi, the vampire leaders, they wanted me turned. They were convinced that the Cullens were hiding me. He moved me to Argentina, and it worked for a few months, but then the Volturi went after the Cullens, and they kidnapped Edward to get him to tell them where I was. Carlisle, being a genius, got to me first, and moved me. Edward couldn't tell them what he didn't know. When they realized what was going on, they started torturing him. One of the vampires can do that just by thinking about it. They broke him. They made him crazy, and when his mind was gone, when everything that made him Edward was gone, they conditioned him to hate me, to want to turn me, and if I wouldn't be turned, he had to kill me. When they were convinced that he would do it, they turned him loose. He's been after me ever since. I've been running from him for three years."

Emily blinked back tears. "The other Cullens won't help?"

"They help. They shuttle me from place to place. Money has never been a concern because of them. Alice keeps an eye on Edward and warns me when he's near, but he's their brother, their son. They can't kill him. And they're trying to stay away from the Volturi too. If they catch any of the others, they'll do the same thing to them. About two weeks ago, Alice called me in a panic. She saw Edward holding my father hostage, to get me to come here and let him turn me. I knew then that I had to come home. I'd stayed away to protect him, and he was going to die anyway. So I left Australia and headed here. I had just gotten to Chicago when I got the news that Charlie was dead. Alice swears it wasn't on Edward's orders, that he hadn't even arrived in Forks yet. It was some muscle from the Volturi who had been sent to kill Dad to lure me back. Edward had sent word through Alice when this whole thing began that if I came back here, to the pack, that every one of you would die. I didn't want to risk the lives of the tribe, the pack, my father. But the Volturi got impatient with Edward, and they sent people to make things move more quickly. Edward is here, somewhere, just outside their detection. He left me a note on my car the day I arrived. Somehow, Jacob didn't smell him, and he was there with me. I tried to make myself leave after the funeral, to keep everyone safe. I really did. But I was so sick of running, so sick of not knowing if I would wake up each time I went to sleep. I couldn't make myself. I drove to the edge of the reservation probably a hundred times, and couldn't drive over the border.

"I thought if I could just stay here, then I'd be safe, and no one would be in danger. But before I could figure out how in the hell that was going to work, Quil saw me sleeping in my car. I made an excuse about how early the funeral started, and he let it go. But he went looking for me the next night, and found me again. That time, he didn't even bother asking me himself. He told Jake, who proceeded to drive me back to his house and wrench every painful detail out of me."

"Are you and Jake back together?"

Bella shook her head. "No. We're something. I don't know what it is, but it's something. I know everyone is going to be mad about that. They're all upset with me for leaving, mad at the way I treated Jacob. And I treated him badly. I used him. I had feelings for him, but it wasn't enough. I was young, and I was stupid, and I hurt him. I was wrong, and I'm sorry for it. I don't know if it will work, if it should work, or if we should even bother trying. But I can't help it." She shrugged. "Last night, it was like nothing had changed, and everything had changed all at the same time."

Emily leaned forward, focusing on the gossip part of Bella's statement to help take her mind off of everything else. "So you slept with him, then?"

Bella laughed. "No! No, no sex. That's too much, too fast. I've only been back three days. I kissed him. It was an amazing kiss, but we stopped there." She smiled into her glass. "He did ask me out on a date Friday."

"That's a good sign. Even with everything going on, and Edward, we can't forget to keep living our lives too. People have to go to work, they have to eat, sleep, make love. We still care for our children, and do everything we need to. There's nothing wrong with pursuing this, even now. It's because of the good that we can wake up every morning and deal with the bad."

"I don't want to distract him. Any of them."

"The only way you would distract Jacob Black is by making him question how you feel. It may have been seven years since you left here, but I promise you that nothing has changed with his feelings for you. He's still as desperately in love with you as he was when he was sixteen."

Bella stared into the depths of her wine, her eyes betraying her concern. "I don't want him to love the girl I was. I'm not her anymore. She's gone. I need for him to get to know the woman that I am now. And as much as he might be willing to overlook what happened, I know he is going to struggle with trusting me. They all are."

"Probably. Those emotions are hard to just get over. Jake, well, he was a mess when you left. They all were. They all loved you, still do. It'll take some time, but they'll get there. They'll learn to trust you." Emily poured them both a second glass. "They just need to know you trust them."

"I do!"

"No, Bella. You trust Jake. Quil asked you what was going on, and you wouldn't tell him. Trusting Jacob is not the same as trusting the pack. They're one. They share a mind, they share emotions, they share fears and insecurities. Until that trust is established, it's going to make things difficult on them."

"What do I need to do?"

Emily leaned back against the couch, sipped thoughtfully. "It's not as easy as me telling you what to say and you go say it. You have to make them realize that you choose the pack. That you're not still in love with Edward, and that you want to start over. You need to move on from the past."

"Being here doesn't count for anything? I asked them to help me."

"No. You asked Jake to help you."

Realization dawned on Bella, and she expelled a hissing breath. "I have a feeling walking outside and throwing myself on their mercy isn't going to have the desired effect?"

"Probably not." Emily chuckled. "It doesn't have to be some grand gesture, Bella. It can be simpler than that."

"I wish you could just give me a roadmap. You know them better than anyone else."

"I've had the most practice at keeping an entire pack happy." She offered a reassuring smile. "It doesn't have to be done today. It's nothing that isn't going to keep for another time. Let's talk about something a bit more enjoyable."

"Gladly. What do you have in mind?"

"Your big date on Friday. Where are you going?"

"Port Angeles. I don't know anything past that."

"Do you have anything to wear?"

Bella couldn't help the giggle. "I have one duffel bag full of jeans and sweaters. I couldn't ever take much with me because I never knew how much notice I would have before I needed to leave."

"Are you planning on staying, Bella? I mean after this is over, when it's all said and done."

Bella considered that for a long while. "I don't know. And not because I don't want to. I don't know if this is going to work between Jake and I, or even if it's good for him. I don't want to be a cause of contention in the pack, and with Jake. I want him to be happy."

"Bella. If you want him, you need to stay and fight for him. He loves you. He's loved you since you two were toddlers together. There is nothing in this world that is going to stop Jacob from being with you if you give him the chance. Not the pack, not a coven of vampires, not anything. You need to decide whether or not you're ready for that kind of commitment, that kind of love. If you are, stay. Stay here, with all of us. You're a part of our family."

Bella lifted her eyes to meet Emily's. "I've always loved him too. I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

"Then the first step is making sure your date goes well. And that means shopping. Tomorrow we'll go into Port Angeles and start getting the things that you need. Clothes for winter here, and a date outfit. There's a lot of stuff you need if all you have is one duffel bag."

Bella sighed. She now knew why the amount in her bank account had tripled overnight. Alice and those infernal visions. Shaking off the annoyance, she smiled, drained her second glass of wine. "Might as well spend the Cullens' money on something useful."

Emily poured the last of the first bottle into her glass. "I can toast to that!"


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry I'm a day late. Life got away from me. But here it is! Enjoy and leave a review.

Jacob felt guilty when he finally pushed through Emily's screen door well after dark. What he'd intended to be a short meeting had turned into an all day ordeal. The pack had had questions, so many questions. About Bella, the Cullens, the Volturi. Some were wary of getting involved, others, like Sam, Quil, Embry and Seth, were chomping at the bit to protect Bella. Ultimately, the vote had come down in favor of helping Bella.

Unfortunately, the result was a deeply divided pack. All were in favor of destroying vampires, but Bella being involved had become the issue. They were all hurt, all fearful that she would take off again, leaving Jacob as messed up as he had been the first time. Eventually, he'd been forced to phase and show them the scene from the night before, Bella's tears, her fear over the situation, and eventually their kiss.

That had been enough to sway Leah and Jared. Which just left Paul, Collin and Brady. The younger boys hadn't been around the first go around for much, so he understood their reluctance. Paul was typically difficult, but Jacob knew that Rachel would bring him around in no time at all. All in all, it had been a successful, if much longer than anticipate meeting. They'd arranged a patrolling schedule to keep the borders secure, and had begun a training schedule to hone their abilities in anticipation of a battle.

Finally, he and Sam had phased back and walked toward the house that he shared with Emily. They shared the walk silently, not needing to talk. Eventually, Jake sighed and turned to his Alpha. "What do you think?"

"We spent ten hours hashing this out. I think you know my opinion, Jake."

The reprimand was delivered with a smile, so Jake offered one of his own. "I want your personal thoughts on it. The ones you don't let us see."

"She's grown up now. She's different. I think it'll be fine. Emily will know if there's anything to be worried about by now. They've had all day together." He chuckled. "They were friendly before, but I know Em's been hoping Bella would come back. We're happy for you, brother. All of us, even if some of us don't express it as well as others. But every one of us will lay down our lives to protect this reservation from vampires, and Bella is a part of here. We'll keep her safe. I promise you that."

"Do you think I'm stupid getting involved with her again?"

"Probably." The answer was filled with amusement and without even a trace of judgment. "But stopping you from doing it is an exercise in futility. I don't think you could stop even if you wanted to. I hope it'll work out for the best. I think she's different, and you're different, and maybe you can make something of it." He stepped up onto his porch. "But you have to try. We all get that. So don't think anything about it. Just follow your heart."

Jacob pushed through the screen door, trying to ignore the instinct to go directly to Bella. He smiled at Emily, dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Where's Bella?"

"Asleep on the couch. She passed out about four hours ago." Emily looked sheepish. "We may have had a few, um, bottles of wine."

Sam barked a laugh, broke off a piece of ham that Emily was carving. "You got her drunk?"

Slightly defensively, Emily laid plates on the island. "She needed to blow off some steam. The poor girl is going through hell right now. When I heard Jake tell Paul a bit about what was going on, I knew she'd need a shoulder. So we talked about everything, then we gossiped, and drank wine. Bella, being thirty pounds lighter than me, and running way short on sleep, found herself tipsy and sleepy when I was only mildly buzzed. So she's sleeping it off on the couch, while I worked mine off making dinner." She smiled brightly at Jake. "Will you join us?"

Jake sighed. "Might as well eat while I wait for her to wake up."

Emily shook her head. "She won't wake up until morning. We can move her into the spare bedroom and she can sleep here."

"I'd rather take her home."

Sam cleared his throat, poured three glasses of milk. "Jake, man, I know how you feel, but if you move her, she'll wake up. I'm sure Emily has her snug as a bug on the couch, and she's safe here with me. We'll even sleep in the downstairs room so she's not down here alone. Or, if you'd prefer, you know the spare room is always yours." He looked at Emily. "If it's too soon to stay at your place without Billy…"

"That has nothing to do with it. I've been staying there. I just don't want her to wake up and freak out is all."

"She won't." Emily sat a plate in front of him. "I'll take care of her, Jake. Besides, I'm taking her shopping tomorrow. Leah is going too, so we'll be protected. It's just to Port Angeles, and she needs a ton of stuff." She looked to Sam. "Poor thing only has one duffel bag. She's been living out of it for the last three years. We can't imagine what she's been through on her own."

Sam sighed. "I imagine it's been rough. But, she could have come here at any time. We would have protected her."

"She believed that if she came back here, the Volturi would kill her father. That they would kill all of you. From what she's told me, these vampires are going to be, at the very best, a challenge." Emily's eyes darkened. "There will likely be casualties."

Jake sucked in a breath. "We're ready. We're an experienced pack. We aren't kids this time, Em. It'll be fine. No one is going to die. Not on our watch."

Sam mirrored the sentiment. "We've been killing leeches for nine years, Emily. We've faced our fair share and then some. They never get past us, and this time will not be any different."

"Edward can read minds."

"We can block him. We practiced that after he left. We're pretty positive that we can block him out. Emily, it is not going to be like you're thinking it will. It'll be hard, babe, but I promise you, we've got this. You need to concentrate on Bella, on keeping her calm, and making sure she's occupied during the days. She has to stay on the reservation unless you've got an escort, and frankly, I want to know more about the last seven years. And what her designs are on my Beta, here."

Jake laughed. "I can handle myself, Sammy boy." He bit a roll in half. "It's different this time. I can feel it."

Emily nodded. "I think so too. She's different. She's mature and sure of herself. I don't think there's going to be an issue. She's worried about the pack. About them trusting her, being able to look past what happened."

Sam and Jake exchanged a look. Finally, Sam sighed. "It'll be fine. Leah isn't crazy about the idea, neither is Jared. But Paul is really the only one really opposed to it. Other than the pups, but they weren't really around to get to know her. They'll learn to trust her over time. She needs to prove to them that things are different."

Jake bit off a bite of potato. "It'll be different this time. I'm taking her out on Friday night. A real date." He laughed when Sam rolled his eyes. "I want to do it. I never got to before. And this can't be all that we do. You know that. You still have to be a husband and a father. We've all got lives we need to keep living. And I want to take Bella on a date."

Sam held up his hands. "I didn't say a word, bro. Do what you want on your time off patrol. Just be available if we need you."

"I can make the run in thirty minutes or under if I need to. Don't worry about that."

Emily leaned forward. "Where are you taking her?"

"I figured just dinner and a movie."

"Just dinner and a movie?" Emily looked flummoxed. "That's a high school date. You're an adult now. You need to take her on an adult date. What kind of food does she like?"

Jacob shrugged. "Pasta?"

"Make a reservation. Nothing too fancy where you'll both be uncomfortable, but a step up from Olive Garden. Skip the movie. Drinks, dinner, then take her for a walk, maybe First Beach, somewhere romantic."

Sam rolled his eyes. "This isn't a movie, Em. Jake, dude, take her out for a burger, then do something fun. It's Bella. You've known her your entire life. You don't have to impress her."

Emily sighed. "Don't listen to him. He had it easy and imprinted. You have to actually do some work. But regardless, I need to know the plan now so that I can make sure she gets the right stuff shopping."

Jacob mulled over the decision while he chewed, then drained his glass. "It's a first date. It's supposed to be special. Get her something nice. But not too fancy."

Emily grinned. "I'll take care of everything." She carried plates to the sink. "Have you scented any vampires in our territory?"

Sam shook his head. "Not since we killed the ones responsible for Charlie and Billy. But we know that Edward has been in La Push from the note that he left for Bella. Which means that he's found some way to disguise his scent."

Jacob shook his head. "He could have thralled a human. If he's charmed some poor kid into doing his bidding here on the reservation, we'd never know it until he wanted us to."

"Good point. That's why it's so damn important for us to keep Bella with one of us. People we know we can trust. We really have no way to know what's going on now." He exchanged a look with Jacob. "It would be better for everyone if we had more information. We need to consider placing a phone call to Carlisle Cullen."

Jacob growled, the sound rumbling in his chest. "I don't like it, Sam. I don't want them here. They won't deal with him. They've had three years to neutralize him. And they keep letting him go and letting him follow her. They've made their choice."

"And they have information about the Volturi that could be valuable."

Emily cleared her throat. "Do we know if Bella knows anything about them yet?"

Sam looked over at her. "I haven't asked her."

Jacob sighed. "Then don't you think that's the first logical step? Finding out what Bella knows about them? She could have all the answers that we need."

"It's worth a shot, but if she doesn't know, we need all the information that we can get on these vampires. They're dangerous, and there's a lot of them. It's not going to go well, and we need to stack the deck in our favor as much as possible." He paused. "I can't believe we didn't talk about the rest of them at all today. Why haven't they taken care of Edward?"

"He's their son, their brother. And in some sick, twisted way, they love him. So they warn Bella when he's close, and they keep trying to talk him down. Bella said Carlisle captured Edward twice and tried to reverse the damage but couldn't. He's fucking crazy, they all are! And the longer they stay alive, the more danger Bella is in, the more danger we're all in."

Emily, always a calming presence, laid her hand on Jacob's. "It's okay, Jake. We're all okay, Bella's fine. We'll keep things that way. But we have to take advantage of every possible resource. So to that end, I agree with Sam. But I agree with you that we need to see what Bella knows first."

Sam sighed. "It would be so fucking easy if I could just order your ass to do it my way."

Jacob couldn't help the laugh that broke out of his chest. "You're welcome to try, old man."

Everyone knew that Jacob had Alpha blood, and that he had been born to lead. However, as the first to phase, Sam had stepped into that role out of necessity. By the time Jacob was familiar enough with the wolf to take over, everything with Bella had spun out of control, and he'd been in no shape to lead a pack. By the time he'd surfaced, he'd realized that he didn't want it.

So the La Push pack was an enigma among wolves. They had a sort of democratic framework. All large decisions went to a vote. In the event of a tie, Sam made a decision. Majority ruled. In the heat of battle, Sam and Jake would both issue orders, and because one was the technical Alpha and the other Alpha by birth, the others were bound to obey both men. There had been relatively few clashes between Jacob and Sam, which kept things moving smoothly, and both were happy with the arrangement. They were equals, they were friends, and most importantly, they were brothers.


	6. Chapter 6

Here is Chapter Six, right on schedule. One little thing before you get to it. The reviews for the last chapter were ABYSMAL! I think I got less than 10. I thrive on feedback. The more I get, the more I want to post chapters. It's hard to get up the desire to post these chapters when I'm not getting feedback on them. Also, a few people had questions about the shopping. That will be completely addressed this chapter and the next. Bella and Emily will not be going without protection. 20 reviews and you get the next chapter early.

Bella woke groggy and with a pounding headache. She blinked rapidly, trying to remember where she was, and looked around, recognizing Emily and Sam's living room. Stiff from too much sleep, she tossed the blanket someone had put over her onto the back of the couch and sat up. Neatly folded on the ottoman next to her was a fresh set of clothes, a towel, fresh toothbrush, toothpaste, glass of water and two aspirin. Blessing Emily, she swallowed the pills with a gulp of water and went in search of the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, feeling much better, with her hair hanging down her back in wet ropes, and Emily's sweatpants drawn tight so that they didn't fall off, Bella padded into the kitchen, where she found Sam at the table drinking coffee. He offered a smile as greeting, and stood to pour her a cup as well.

"Milk or sugar?"

Bella shook her head. "Black's fine, thank you."

He sat the cup down at the table across from him, gestured for her to sit. "Emily is getting a shower. She'll be down to start breakfast soon. The guys are coming over so it's going to be quite the crowd. You ready for that?"

Not sure if it was concern or amusement lacing his voice, Bella squared her shoulders. "I'm ready."

"Good." He took a thoughtful sip of his coffee, tapped his fingertips on the table. "You're uncomfortable."

"You weren't exactly my biggest fan before."

"Fair enough." He smiled a little smugly. "And yet here we are, with you sleeping on my couch."

"Only because your wife got me drunk until I passed out." Bella smiled to let him know she was joking. "I owe you an apology, Sam. I owe one to all of you. About bringing this to the reservation, to the tribe. I know I should have just left, taken my chances. I should have run. I'm sorry that I didn't. I don't want any of you to get hurt, and I'll never forgive myself if you do. But I didn't know where else to turn. I didn't know who else to come to. And when Quil tattled on me, I was relieved to have someone I could tell. I know it's asking a lot from you, to protect me, and I know you have no reason to believe that it's different, but I'm not here to hurt him. I care about him, I always have, and I always will. I care about you all."

"Bella." Sam interjected gently, almost too gently. "Do us both a favor and shut up." He waited until her mouth snapped shut. "You were eighteen. You're not anymore. Just that fact alone is a miracle. If Edward is as crazy as you say, it's not just you he's after. He's eating people. That makes him our problem. The Volturi are powerful vampires who think they rule the world. That also makes them our problem. Believe me when I tell you that this is about more than you. You're human, therefore you have our protection. It's what we're made to do, and we will all gladly lay down our lives to do it. We would do it for every other human on this Earth."

Bella nodded. "Okay, I get that. But thanks, anyway. And I'm still sorry."

Sam reached over, covered her hand with his much larger one. "Jake forgave you. So we do too." He withdrew the warmth. "Just don't hurt him again, or the next time, we'll leave you for leech food."

Bella nodded, a smile threatening to turn up the corners of her mouth. "Understood." She finished her coffee, stood. "I'll get a head start on breakfast."

Satisfied that his message had been received and that the response was appropriate, Sam nodded. "Don't forget how much we eat."

Bella laughed, the tension broken as she pulled out five cartons of eggs. "I think I can handle it."

It was the smell that had Jacob's proverbial ears perking up as he loped up Sam's driveway. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, and apples baking in cinnamon. He smiled as he realized that Bella was cooking, and pushed in through the door. She looked up when she saw him, and the smile turned into a full grin. She had flour on her nose from the pancake batter, and was wearing one of Emily's aprons, wielding a spatula in one hand and a whisk in the other, and having a raucous debate with Embry over the proper way to cook an egg.

Seeing her there, surrounded by his family, laughing and comfortable, fitting in, was almost too much for him to bear. Even Paul, typically sullen and grumpy, was smiling and laughing, reaching out to swat Bella on the ass with a wooden spoon he'd snagged from Emily. When she reacted by throwing a sausage link and whacking him between the eyes with it, he couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him.

He moved through the throng of people smoothly, stopping to kiss his hugely pregnant sister, and talk briefly with Sam. Finally, Bella looked up and grinned at him as he came to a stop in front of her. Voice low so that no one could hear him over the din of close to twenty people talking at full volume, he leaned down.

"If you have any doubts, say so now, because unless you tell me to stop in the next ten seconds, I am going to kiss you senseless in front of everyone in this room."

Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat, both things that made Jacob raise an eyebrow at her, almost as if he could read her mind. Finally, she cleared her throat, and managed a strangled whisper. "I think I'm good, actually."

Any further statements were sent sliding back down her throat as Jacob crushed her small body against his much larger one, his mouth closing over hers in a hot kiss. His arms banded around her, anchoring her against him as her arms lifted to wrap around his neck. The kiss was hot and deep, with his tongue demanding entrance to her mouth to tangle with hers. Bella felt that slow burn begin deep within her, and rose up on her tiptoes to return the kiss more actively.

Breathing ragged, Jacob tore himself away from her, his eyes going to hers, finding them flooded with emotions, ranging from fear and confusion to desire and lust. Since they very closely matched his own, he wasn't concerned by what he saw. What did give him a moment of pause was the absolute silence in the room.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Jacob turned, drawing Bella against him, his arm around her shoulders. Every person in the room had stopped what they were doing. Conversations had ceased, forks had clattered to plates, Paul had a bite of pancake halfway to his mouth. Bella blushed dark red when she realized how many stares were trained on her.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Obviously there's a lot that needs figuring out. Bella is here now, and she's not going anywhere. She and I are working things through and everything is fine. It's not like it was before, and I don't want to hear any bad word said about it."

Sam cleared his throat. "Jacob will have the unwavering support of this pack. Anyone who doesn't think this is okay can feel free to take it up with me. Bella is human, she is here, and she has made it clear that she has no allegiance to the vampires. As far as we are concerned, she is a member of this pack. Anything beyond that is between her and Jake." He picked up a pancake from the platter in the middle of the island. "Now eat!"

Instantly, the roar of voices was back. Bella sighed in relief, her stomach still knotted from nerves. Emily laid a hand on hers reassuringly as she walked by. She turned back to the stove, and the massive amount of bacon frying. Jacob leaned against the counter, crossing his long legs in front of him and looking over at her with mild amusement.

"Shopping with Emily and Leah, hmm?"

"I need some things for winter. I don't even have a coat. Emily figured with Leah going it would be okay."

"It's not a problem. They aren't coming after you in the middle of the city, and Leah will smell a vampire a mile away. You'll be safe." He reached into his back pocket, withdrew his wallet and pulled out his bank card, handed it to her. "Get whatever you need."

Bella looked at the red plastic he was extending, up to Jacob and back again. Then, she did what he never would have imagined she would. "Jacob Ephraim Black, how dare you! I can take care of my own damn self, thank you very much! I do not need your charity and I will not take your pity!"

Face now flushed red with anger instead of lust, she stomped from the house, ponytail bouncing. Shocked, Jacob looked down at his hand, then up to the room filled with his pack. "What the hell did I do wrong?"

Paul snorted. "Dude, she's not a little kid."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Bella has been managing to provide for herself for three years whilst running from the Cullen boy. I presume she has enough money to buy herself a coat."

Jacob threw up his hands as he followed Bella out the door. "How in the hell was I supposed to know that?"

He found her sitting on Emily's swing that overlooked her garden. Jacob had not so fond memories of helping Sam build and hang it the summer before she'd delivered Levi. Saying nothing, he sat next to her, kicked his feet to start the swinging. Involuntarily, Bella shivered in the cold, and he realized she was barefoot. Knowing better than to offer her his jacket, he slid his arm around the back of the swing, letting his body heat warm her.

"Want to tell me what all that was about?"

Bella looked up, only slightly embarrassed. "I hate feeling like I can't take care of myself. Edward always did that to me, and after him, Carlisle and Esme. I can't take it from you, too."

"Bella, you've been running for your life for three years. It didn't occur to me that you had time to work a job with all of that."

Bella ignored his logic. "It's not like you have much money either. You're a wolf. Did you even finish high school?"

"GED." He admitted it ruefully, offering a half smile. "But it's been a long time since there's been a vampire here. We still ran short patrols every night, but it only took half an hour from each of us per day. Quil, Embry and I opened up a garage when the old automotive shop on the reservation closed five years ago. We do custom restorations on bikes and cars, some regular mechanic work for people in town and down in Forks. It doesn't make us rich, but none of us are struggling to keep the electric on, either."

"So the three of you pay for everyone? Even more reason I won't be a drain."

"Did I say that?" he sighed. "Sam does the books for us, and we pay him. Emily does data entry for the hospital from home. Kim teaches at Forks High, and Paul owns a construction company. Colin, Brady and Seth work for him. Jared does some contract stuff for us and Leah teaches fitness classes at the gym down in Forks. Rachel is on maternity leave, but when she's not, she's the librarian for the Council, and that pays for their house. We all manage, Bells. None of us are rolling in money, but we do okay. We help each other, and we work together, and we cover for one another if there's an issue." He nudged her shoulder. "I can certainly bankroll one shopping trip without going in the hole, Bella."

"I can do it myself." Stubborn as always, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a charity case. I don't need you to pay my way."

"Okay, then tell me. How can you afford it?"

"I write. Fiction, mostly. Short stories. I've published a few in some magazines, and the pay is decent. You can make money on the internet with blogs and writing articles, and I've figured out how to make both of them work for me. Carlisle always took care of making sure I had tons in my bank account, but I never liked to use it. He couldn't know where I was or Edward would see it in his mind. I hated feeling like I was a pet, like they thought I was a nice project to spend some of their fortune on. I only used it if there wasn't any other choice."

"Bells, you didn't have a choice. You had to concentrate on staying alive."

"Now that I'm here, I can spend more time doing my work, and Dad had life insurance, and I'll sell the house. That'll put me in a fine position until I figure out what to do."

"If you don't want to use the Cullens' money, then I don't want you to have to. I can take care of you."

"That's the point, Jake. I can take care of myself. I don't need them, or you, paying for me. It's not that I don't appreciate it, and it's not that I don't ever accept help, but right now, at this moment, I don't need to, and that's not a feeling I get to have very often. I want to do this myself. I want to have a day with Emily and Leah hanging out at the mall, spending too much money and just being a girl! I haven't had that since I was seventeen. I miss it. I miss being some sort of normal. So please, just stop trying to support me. I can handle it myself."

Jacob nodded. "Only if you promise to tell me if you can't."

Forgiving him, Bella leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I promise." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad I'm back. Even with everything going on, it's nice to be here. With all of you. It's like coming home. It's almost as if things are picking right back up where they left off."

"I wish it was that simple. But it's not." Jacob ran a hand over her hair, covered her icy feet with one of his hands. "I'm just glad you're here. With me."

Bella smiled. "It's not going to be easy, what we have to do, but I'm glad I'm here too. Especially since it's with you."


	7. Chapter 7

Here's your regularly scheduled update. Y'all were ONE review short of getting an early chapter! ONE! And that was back on Sunday! Believe me when I tell you that you WANT to get to chapter nine. You NEED to get to chapter nine. Amazing things happen in that chapter that I know you're all DESPERATELY wanting to see happen. And chapter ten? Well, that's just as awesome. Believe me when I tell you that the sooner you get to those chapters, the happier you'll be. I PROMISE!

So here's how it works. 20 reviews on THIS chapter, and I post the next one early. No strings. Regular one comes on Saturday as planned no matter what. So review. You won't regret it!

Leah was surprisingly well behaved on the shopping trip. She didn't complain about the procession of department stores, and even held bags in what Bella considered to be a relatively good natured manner. Finally, after six hours, nine stores and a nearly silent lunch of Chinese food in the food court, Leah was starting to get into shopping.

Once it had become a group outing, instead of Emily and Bella shopping and Leah guarding, it became much more fun. Finally, giggling wickedly, Leah dragged Bella into a lingerie shop. Bright red, Bella struggled, but the wolf was way too strong for her to break the grip.

"I have underwear."

"Yes, but you don't have lingerie, I'd be willing to bet." Leah wiggled her eyebrows. "Unless you've had way more men than I think warming your bed, I'd be willing to bet that your underwear is white cotton."

Irritated, Bella sighed. "Blue, mostly." She looked around at the scraps of lace and silk. "I wouldn't even know where to start in here."

Emily giggled. "I have to admit, Bella, it seems almost fitting to use the Cullens' money to buy lingerie with which you intend to seduce Jake."

Bella mulled that over, found that some sick part of her enjoyed the thought. "That just seems so wrong."

"Poetic justice." Leah started rifling through the racks. "What's your bra size?"

"34C."

The werewolf looked at her. "Hmm. I'd have thought a B."

"Not since high school. I added a cup during my last growth spurt. " she lifted her brows at the red negligee that Leah held up. "You expect me to wear that? And let someone look at me in it?"

"You're twenty five fucking years old, Bella Swan. Stop pretending that you've never gotten naked with a man before." Leah studied Bella, the flush of her cheeks, the way she avoided making eye contact. She looked at Emily, who shook her head, and ignored that warning. "Oh my God."

"Shut up, Leah." Bella muttered that miserably, suddenly very intently studying a rack of corsets.

Emily gave Leah a stern look. "This is none of our concern, Leah."

"The hell it isn't. You never banged the vampire?"

Bella sighed. "No. Edward and I never had sex. He wouldn't until we were married. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control himself and that he would kill me."

"That's disgusting." Leah shook her head. "Vampires are gross. Really glad you didn't fuck him, I gotta say. But no one since?"

"I haven't ever exactly been Edward free. He was around, or Alice was watching, and then the last three years, he's been chasing me. It hasn't left time for a boyfriend. When I left here, I spent eight months with my mom, then another three years at college with the Cullens around a lot of the time. The last year of that I didn't see them, but they were still there through Alice. Then everything happened with the Volturi."

"So Jake will be the first." Leah grinned. "God he'll love that."

Emily huffed a sigh. "They haven't even been out on a date yet, for God's sake, Leah. It's not all about sex."

"Yes, it is. He's wanted her since he knew what sex was." Leah checked a size, handed Bella a black bra and panty set. "Here, take that. And everyone with fur could smell her this morning, so I don't think it's news to say that she wants him too."

Bella closed her eyes tightly. "I don't want to talk about this with the two of you. I don't want to talk about this with anyone. Jake and I, we don't know what we are, or where it's going, or how to deal with everything. We've been trying to figure it out, and we'll get there. But that doesn't mean that we'll have sex, or that it's going to be white dresses and happily ever afters."

Softening, Leah handed her a white silk nightgown. "Here. Do you love him?"

"That's a very hard question to answer. Yes, I love him. I've always loved him. When I left the first time, I was falling in love with him, and if I'd stayed, I'd have gone down that rabbit hole. The time I spent away, I needed it to grow up. And I did. I'm different. He's different. We aren't the same people, but the feelings are still there. We have to figure out if they people we are now can make something work the way the people we were then could have." She paused, gave both women a sympathetic look. "And then there's the issue of imprinting."

Leah nodded knowingly. "That's a big risk." She looked at Emily, offered a rare smile. "But, as the one woman in all the world who has been left for an imprint, I can tell you this. I cherish the time I spent with Sam. I wouldn't trade those memories, those years, for anything. And it hurt like hell when he left me, partially because I was so in love with him, and partially because I didn't understand and he couldn't tell me. But now, after almost a decade, after seeing Levi born, and finding my way? I would rather have had that time I had with him than not. Even with the way it ended." She patted Bella's shoulder awkwardly. "I'm not good at this girl talk shit, but this is something I know from experience. No matter how it ends, loving someone is never a mistake. Except when it's a vampire."

They all three giggled at that, and Bella knew she had to change the subject. Choking back her embarrassment, she gestured to a purple and black corset set. "So, I think that looks pretty. Do they have my size?"

Jacob was waiting at Emily's house when the three women got back. When they exited Bella's SUV laughing and chatting like they'd been friends for years, Jacob and Sam exchanged a concerned look. Even Leah looked cheerful and at ease, and was even carrying three bags of her own. Sam shrugged, and Jacob sighed.

"Have fun?" Sam stood to kiss Emily, handing over their son as he did so. Emily planted a kiss in Levi's chubby cheek and nodded.

"We had a great time."

Leah plopped down on the swing where Sam had been sitting. "It was surprisingly unhorrible."

Jacob laughed. "From you that's a rave review." He waved to Bella, who was still behind the wheel. "I'm going to take her down into Forks to go through her Dad's things. We were supposed to do it yesterday, but Emily got her drunk and she was passed out on the couch."

Leah perked up. "Do you want me to come with? Just in case the leech is there?"

"I don't think Edward is going to be hanging out in Charlie's living room."

"And if he smells you and comes running?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Leah has a point, Jake. Forks is not our territory, so we don't patrol there. There's no telling where Cullen is. You shouldn't go alone. Edward can read minds, so that makes him even more dangerous. I don't think you should go alone."

Emily handed Levi back to Sam. "Might as well go with what works. Leah and I will go with you. We'll take my car down. That way I can help Bella go through some things and Leah can be there to look really intimidating and make sarcastic quips."

Surprisingly, Leah didn't snap at Emily's joke. She chuckled and shook her head. "I have to work on not being so predictable."

Jacob nodded. "Alright. But if she needs space, you need to give it to her." He opened the passenger side door, slid in. Bella lifted her eyebrows quizzically when she saw Emily and Leah get in a second car.

"Everything okay?"

"Leah and Sam double teamed me. The girls are tagging along as backup in case Edward is in Forks."

"You think he's in Forks?"

"No, I don't. I think we'd smell him if he was, and we haven't. There's been no sign of life, or unlife, at the Cullens' house since they left years ago. But they're pushy, and it's easier to just let it go than fight over it. And Emily's right. You might need some help going through things, and Emily will be much better at that than I am."

Two blocks from Charlie's house, Jacob felt the hair on the back of his neck go up. He sniffed suspiciously, but couldn't detect the scent of vampire. Bella pulled up to the curb, and he inhaled again, that time smelling old scent. Edward Cullen had been to Charlie's. It wasn't fresh scent, but it was everywhere. Leah was out of the car before it rolled to a stop, and he knew she smelled it as well.

"Stay here."

Bella shook her head. "If he was here, you'd be phased already. He's not, is he?"

Reluctantly, Jacob shook his head. "No. But he's been here."

"Probably looking for me." She fished her keys out of her purse. "I'm going in."

She strode up the steps and onto the front porch, took a deep breath and inserted her key into the lock. When she hesitated before pushing it open, Jacob laid a hand against her back, offering his strength and comfort. Emily had come up behind him, and he could see tears already shining in her eyes as she considered what Bella was likely going to go through.

With a deep breath, she opened the door. Immediately, shock registered on her face as she looked around. Everything was ruined. The furniture had been slashed to ribbons, upended. The coffee table was smashed into pieces, the dining table shared its' fate. The appliances had been yanked from the walls and thrown around, torn apart and tossed carelessly. Dishes were smashed, cutlery was strewn about the floor.

The walls, normally painted a light blue, were smeared with red. With blood. In angry red, Edward had written out what he felt. 'Whore.' 'Slut.' 'Kill.' 'Mine.' 'Forever.' 'Dead mutts.' 'Destroy.' As she read, her hands came up to cover her mouth, and tears spilled down her cheeks as she took in what Edward had done to her father's house.

Jacob shoved past her, ran upstairs to look. Bella's room was destroyed, most of her clothing gone. Pictures were strewn over the floor, the bed frame was damaged beyond repair, and the mattress was laying in the hall. There were holes in the walls from fists and the desk was nothing more than kindling. A quick look at the bathroom and Charlie's room showed him more of the same. The window in Bella's room was shattered, and up there the blood spelled out precisely what he wanted to do to her.

Fighting anger at someone threatening Bella, and nausea at the horrors in the house, Jacob descended the stairs and found Bella standing in the living room, turning around slowly, looking lost. She looked up when she saw him, questions in her eyes for which he had no answers.

"It's even worse upstairs." He reached for her, drew her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Bella."

Emily cleared her throat to get their attention. "Don't give up yet." She looked around with an appraising eye. "It's definitely bad, but we can still salvage some of the important things. Pictures, that sort of thing. What do you need from here, Bella?"

Bella blinked several times, like she was trying to break through a fog. "He kept photo albums in the cabinet in the entertainment center. There's a lock box in his closet where he kept his wedding ring, his grandfather's watch and his service revolver. Umm, there were some photos in my room, in frames on a shelf. Me and my parents when I was little, Jake and I when we were kids. He keeps a box of old family movies in the attic, and there's a small safe with important papers behind the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I don't know the combination."

Emily nodded. "We'll take care of it. Have you decided what you want to do with the house?"

"Sell it. Burn it. Tear it down. I don't care."

"We'll take care of it." She looked at Jacob. "You'll get the boys down here to help me get this cleared out and painted?"

"They'll be here within the hour." He nodded toward Bella. "If you have any problems, call me. I'm going to take her back up to the reservation. This is too much to ask her to deal with."

"I'll handle it, Jake. This is something I can do. So leave me to it. Have Sam drop the baby with Sue and come down to help. With nine wolves, it'll be done by end of tomorrow." She shrugged off her jacket, pulled a notebook from her purse. "Leah! I'm going to make a list for the store. We need tons of stuff to clean this place up."

The last thing Bella heard as Jacob hustled her back out the door was Leah yell back. "Bella said we could burn it down. Why don't we just do that and call it a day?"

Jacob opened the passenger door, waited for her to climb in and closed it. He crossed to the other side, slid behind the wheel. She was staring ahead stonily, her eyes flat and dry. Her hands were knotted in her lap, and her jaw was set. He could hear her teeth grinding.

"It's okay to be mad, honey."

Bella turned to look at him. "I want this to be over, Jake. I can't take much more! He had my Dad killed! He had Billy killed! If I'd come back sooner, if I'd come to you before, maybe he'd be dead and they'd still be alive! This is all my fault! I killed them. I was scared to ask you for help, and because of it, I killed them." She doubled over, sobs tearing from her. "How can you even stand to look at me?"

Jacob reached across the seat, drew her to him. "This is not your fault. You did not bring this here. The Volturi sent the vampires that did this. Killing Dad and Charlie was not Edward. You are not to blame." He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Bella, listen to me. Edward's fate was sealed when the Volturi got to him. He's nothing but a monster now. And he followed you here. The Volturi did this to lure you here. I wish you'd have come to me when it first started, but I understand why you didn't. But you have to believe me when I tell you that you are not responsible for what is happening."

Bella looked out the window, at the small house, the driveway, the old truck that still sat in the garage. "My truck. Does it still run?"

Jacob laughed softly. "Yeah, Charlie kept up with it, and I worked on it a few times a year to keep it going. Replaced the engine about two years ago, and finished the body work last summer. It doesn't even look the same. I'll have the guys bring it up to Billy's for you."

"Remember that night? In the truck when Alice came?"

He smiled at the memory, of two teenagers sitting in a truck, nervous and a boy who very desperately wanted to kiss his girl. "I remember. I wanted to kiss you so bad I could barely breathe. Those weeks away from you were some of the roughest I've ever had."

"I was scared. I still felt so lost, so alone, and so confused. I knew how you felt, I knew how I was starting to feel, and I was still so desperately in love with Edward that I had convinced myself that feeling anything for you was a betrayal to him."

Wanting to do anything he could to make her feel better, he cupped her cheek in one hand. "How about now? How do you feel this time?"

Bella met his gaze, her breath trembling in her chest. "Nervous."

"Do I make you nervous, Bella?" he lowered his head until his mouth was only a whisper away from hers.

Heart in her throat, she looked up at him, feeling his breath across her lips, the heat from his body flowing over her. "Yes."

"Why?"

Knowing it was the time for honesty, she licked her lips nervously. "Because I don't know what to do with you."

Jacob chuckled. "Don't worry. I know exactly what to do with you."

With that, he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss designed to erase the memories of the time spent in Charlie's house. While it wouldn't erase them, it took her away from the horror of the moment and took her into his world. Where the only important thing was the sparks snapping between them and all she could feel was his mouth and hands on her. She melted into him, her hands gripping his biceps to give her some balance as she teetered on the edge of a precipice so deep she didn't know if she would ever be able to climb out of, so appealing she wasn't sure she would ever want to even try.

Finally, Jacob lifted his head, his eyes burning with passion. "I'm really trying to go slow, Bells. I know it's not smart to rush into this, and we can't pick up where we left off at seventeen. But every time I kiss you, I can't stop thinking about all the things I want to do to you." He groaned as he captured her mouth again, crushing her against him, demanding, and receiving, entrance to her mouth.

Bella felt like she had a burning fever that no medication in the world would cure. Every nerve ending was firing and felt like it was electrified. Her fingers dug into thickly corded muscles, and she found herself climbing to her knees to anchor her body against his more firmly. And when he finally wrenched away from her, the confusion in her eyes was almost more than he could take. He offered a smile, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and started the engine.

"It has nothing to do with you." Bella's voice was small and soft inside the truck, so soft that even with his preternatural hearing, he barely detected her words. "I made my decision when I kissed you the first night. There's no doubt in my mind about trying with you. I want to. I want to see what we can make. It's everything else that makes me worry. I worry about what your brothers think, the other girls, I worry about the Volturi, about me dying, about you dying, I worry that we'll both die, that I'll be turned and you'll be forced to kill me. I feel responsible for the lives of every member of your pack, and I am so scared that I can barely breathe. I want to grieve for my Dad, I want to be sad and mope and cry, but I can't. I have to be strong, and keep dealing with this. I know, logically, that I can't spend all my time worrying and thinking about when they get here. Vampires don't exactly do things in a hurry. They could show up tomorrow, they could show up ten years from now. But I can't help how I feel. And I can't help worrying that us getting tangled up in each other is going to pull our focus from the very real threat that we need to deal with."

Jacob glanced at her sideways, offered a rakish smile that told her he wasn't angry with her. "Bells, the only thing that's going to distract me is wanting to get tangled up with you and not being able to." he reached over, squeezed her hands. "Don't worry about it. You can feel whatever you need to. I can't promise you I'll make it through this. I can't promise you any of us will, only that we're all going to try like hell to make sure that we do. The pack supports you. A couple question whether this is for the best, but they understand why we're doing what we're doing, and all the girls are thrilled that you're back. I've never seen Leah that relaxed with other women. And yeah, the Volturi could take forever, but Edward is here now, so that's something we worry about now, and we continue to worry about it until it's over and done with. We don't know what is going on with him."

"I could ask Alice." The suggestion was made in that very small voice, as if she feared he would phase out of anger just because she mentioned it.

"You're still in contact with them?"

Bella shook her head. "No. Carlisle wires money into my account every couple of months, and Alice calls me if she gets a vision of Edward getting close to me. Now that I'm here, I doubt I'll hear from them. I have a number that I call if there's an emergency. It's a voicemail that they check periodically. I've never used it before. But if you want me to, I will."

Jacob considered the suggestion for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's just see how things go for now."

They rode in silence for the rest of the trip to La Push. Bella headed straight into the house while Jacob wrestled with the bags from the backs. She unlocked the door with the key she'd had since the summer she turned thirteen, and headed into the kitchen to see about cooking dinner. What she found there had her blood turning to ice in her veins.

The kitchen table was spread with pictures of her. Her in her car asleep, at her father's funeral, in Jacob's kitchen the night he'd brought her there, at the mall with Emily and Leah, wrapped around Jacob in a kiss that looked even more intense in photographs than it had felt in the moment. That morning at Emily's house, surrounded by werewolves. A vase set in the middle of the table, a single red rose in it with a single piece of stationary leaned up against it. Heart in her throat, pounding a thousand beats a minute, she reached out and picked it up.

_Beloved Isabella,_

_I had hoped that my last note would have scared you away from this place. I see now how mistaken I was, how deeply you have wandered into the web of the mutt. There is no where that you go that I cannot find you, no where you can hide that I will not fetch you from._

_The dogs will die. I will turn you into one of us so that we may spend eternity together. There is nothing else in this world that will ever make us happy, my love. I can only pray that I can control myself from draining every drop of your delicious blood. You are my singer, the one who's blood calls to me, begs me to drink it. Perhaps I'll allow the mutt you allow to touch you to live until you're turned. He could be your first meal when you awake from the transformative sleep._

_Alas, I digress. I am offering you this one last chance, darling. Come to me now and I will spare their mates, their children. Refuse my offer and I will bring upon you the wrath of the entirety of the Volturi guard. It's unfortunate that their impatience led to the death of your father. I had intended only to kill him if you returned here. It has led to you being close enough to taste, though, so I am grateful now for their interference. If you force me to call in the guard, I cannot guarantee that you will not be killed along with the dogs. It is only in my hands that I trust your eternal existence._

_Come to me, Isabella, before it is too late, before there is even more blood on your hands. _

_Eternally,_

_E._

"Hey, Bells, I thought maybe we could order pizza and then go down to First Beach. It's Embry's birthday tomorrow and we were gonna have a bonfire for him-" Jacob drew to a stop when he saw Bella's snow white face. "What's wrong?"

Disbelief in her eyes, she forced her gaze from the paper to his face. "Don't you smell him?"

"Smell who?"

Bella moved to let him see into the table, the horrific mural that had been placed there. "Edward. He's been in this house."


	8. Author's Note

I have never before done this, and I hope to never do so again, but I feel as if I need to address a review I received. I want to make this completely clear. I do not post chapters based on reviews. I write because I love it, but I post because I want to share that with others. I love getting feedback from my readers. I love knowing that you enjoyed it, if you didn't, how I can make things better, what you'd like to see. I post chapters twice a week. That will NEVER change, regardless of whether I get 0 reviews or 1000. When I ask for a certain number, I am trying solely to provide an incentive to my readers to let me know their thoughts about my work. Because I appreciate the time and effort it takes to leave a review, I like to offer extra chapters if I get a high level of feedback. I am not trying to bribe people into reviewing. I've never delayed a chapter to get reviews, and I never will. I hate to take a chapter to do this, but when I'm called obnoxious and told no one should continue reading this because I offer this, it hurts my feelings, and it honestly pisses me off. I write novels. Every second I spent writing fanfic is time away from my original works. I do this because I love it. I love the fandom, the characters, the readers. I thrive on feedback and I genuinely want to know what you think. However, if a lot of people are bothered by what I do, I'll stop and just continue to post twice weekly, no exceptions. Let me know if you're bothered and I'll never post another word about it. I don't like authors who refuse to post until they get a certain number of reviews, and I want you all to know that I will never be one of them.

Drop me a PM if you want me to change the way I do things. I only ask that you be respectful. I don't deserve to be called names.


	9. Chapter 9

You did it! Here is your BONUS chapter! It's drama packed and sweet. The next chapter, scheduled for Saturday is the most intense one yet. Same rules apply. I'll post another bonus chapter if you leave the reviews! Enjoy!

"Sam, the fucker was IN MY HOUSE!" Jacob roared his anger, shaking from the effort he was exerting to keep from phasing in the middle of Sam's kitchen. "I didn't smell him. You didn't smell him. None of us can fucking smell him! He could be anywhere on the reservation, in our houses, with our children! He could sneak in here and drain Emily dry in the middle of the night and we'd never know until it was too late! Levi, Sam, think about what he could do to your son without our sense of smell."

Sam's eyes flashed with heat, but he managed to stay calm. "Jake, we don't know that it was him. Vampires can control humans. Look what he could do to Bella years ago. Dazzle them or something. We both smelled humans around the house."

"Yeah, because there weren't a hundred fucking people in and out of there the last few days for the funeral! It's almost impossible to pick out one human from that many."

"Exactly. Don't you think he would know that? Maybe it works exactly the same way for vampires. They talk about how we stink, and yet humans don't bother them. You're scared, I get that. I'm scared too. But if Edward Cullen steps foot in this house, I don't think I have to tell you that I will rip him limb from limb before he knows what hit him. Any of us would. Coming onto our land, into our homes, threatening our families? It signs his death warrant. I don't think he's that mentally unstable that he doesn't realize that. He has to be smarter than that."

Jacob slammed his fists into the island, cracking the granite countertop. "Dammit, Sam, he's got Bella half convinced that she has to go off like a lamb to the slaughter to keep you from having to bury a baby!"

Sam felt his chest constrict at the thought of anything touching his son. "We will **not **let that happen. This is not her fault. We'll ramp up patrols. There are ten of us. We'll run a shift of two during the day, three at night. One to patrol on the reservation, keeping an eye on the houses, on our families, and the other two in the woods, patrolling the treaty line. That means half of us will be off all the time, and available here for things like working." He smiled ruefully. "I think the shop and the construction company are going to suffer the next few weeks, but we'll make it work."

"Jared just has a few things here and there. It's getting into winter so his stuff slows down a lot. We need to keep Leah available as much as possible since she's the only one who works for someone other than one of us. She teaches three days a week, so we'll need to make sure she's off the nights before she works. The shop is nothing that can't be handled by one or two of us. We're waiting on parts, and just doing some custom stuff right now. It's not an issue."

Sam nodded. "Okay, we'll work it out. When one of us is out patrolling, our wives, imprints, kids, they're with another pack member. I don't want any of them spending a night alone."

Bella cleared her throat from the doorway. "Can I say something?"

Jacob was at her side in a heartbeat. "Of course you can. What's wrong?"

"Other than the obvious?" she offered a watery smile. "I think I might be able to help, at least with the financial part of it, since I assume that's the concern with having to patrol so often." She took a deep breath. "Carlisle wires money to me every month or two. A lot of it. It's kind of just building up and building up, and I only use it if I have no other choice. And it's just sitting there, doing nothing, so I was thinking, if I can't do anything else, I can at least take care of everyone while they're risking their lives because of my mess. Will you let me do that, Sam? Use their money for something good?"

Sam started to turn her down, to tell her that they could take care of their own, and it would have been the truth. They were a family, and they had enough irons in the fire that one or two could get dropped and they would still manage to get by. But he saw in her eyes how much she needed to feel useful, and he found he couldn't tell her no. Because she needed to be needed, and she was right, it was likely the only thing she could do.

"That's very generous of you, Bella. And it feels somehow fitting that the leeches basically pay us to chase their son." Sam nodded to her, turned back to Jacob. "We have an extra bedroom here, and you have an extra room, so we'll likely be playing host to Kim and Rachel a lot. It'll be like pulling teeth to get Sue Clearwater to leave her house, so we'll try to keep either Seth or Leah there to be with her. When I'm out, someone will have to come here. It's not fair to pack up the baby every other night."

"Agreed." Jacob laid his head in his hands. "We have to find him, Sam. At this point I don't care if we break the treaty and go into Forks phased. We have to find Edward, and we have to kill him. And we have to do it now. We can't wait."

"If he's controlling a human to do his bidding, then he could be in Seattle for all we know."

Bella coughed a little. "Umm, no, actually. It only works from about five miles away. It's called the thrall. They can do it by feeding on someone and giving them a tiny amount of venom, not enough to kill or turn. Then they use their abilities, their dazzle, to put the person in a fog. Eventually, enough venom accumulates in their system that they die. Thralling someone is fatal eventually. They can last a few weeks though."

Sam looked up. "You know about this?"

"A little. Not a ton. Just what I've overheard from them. It's looked down upon, harnessing humans like that, at least Carlisle doesn't like it. It's unpredictable, and requires a constant supply of human blood. The human gets more and more unstable the longer the vampire tries to keep control, and eventually, they just drop dead wherever they are."

"Could Edward do it?"

"Absolutely. He can read minds. He's familiar with how the mind works. It would take nothing for him to figure out what someone wants, what they're scared of and use it against them until he's a knight in shining armor and they'll do whatever he wants. He did it to me."

"Is there any way to tell who it is?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't think so. Did I look any different when I was with him?"

"You weren't thralled though."

"Not exactly. I was dazzled. Literally seeing the world through rose colored glasses. I could still make decisions, but I was thinking about what Edward wanted. Jake remembers the cliff diving incident."

When Sam looked at Jacob in confusion, he sighed. "She discovered she could hear his voice if she was in danger. So she jumped off the cliff to hear it, nearly drowned. Would have if I hadn't been there."

"We need to find Edward." Sam was even more convinced than ever. "That is the only way to stop this for now. We still have the Volturi coming, and that's going to be another problem for another day. But Edward, that is the primary issue. We need him dealt with now. It can't wait. He is priority one, and everything else is secondary. I don't care where, if he's in Forks, on the reservation, in downtown fucking Seattle, he is dead."

The phone rang in the middle of the most subdued dinner that had ever taken place at the Uley home. Without a word, Sam got up and stomped to the corded phone in the doorway. He grabbed it with one hand, barked a greeting.

"Good evening, Sam Uley. This is Carlisle Cullen speaking. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Instantly alert, Jacob launched out of his chair and strode toward the phone. Sam held up a hand to stop him. "Talk fast."

"My daughter Alice has visions, as I'm sure you know. She can see things about decisions that individuals have made. However, her visions are inhibited when it comes to the pack, so her usefulness has been limited recently. Unfortunately, that means that we were unaware of the stunt Edward had planned until it was too late to attempt to stop him. It has become clear that there is nothing that any of us can do to make him see reason. We have tried to reason with him, we have tried to help him, and we can't.

"I know you don't wish to hear this, but we do care for Bella. We do not wish to see her harmed. The Volturi guard are mobilizing, though it will likely be several months before they arrive. We are willing to fight with you, to help you neutralize Edward."

Sam's eyebrows met his hairline. "You realize that neutralize means kill."

"We are not daft, Mr. Uley. We know what the only possible outcome of an encounter with the wolves means. We require you to guarantee the safety of the rest of us, and that the treaty will stand in regard to the rest of my family. Edward is no longer one of us."

"We won't be limited to just the reservation. Our patrols will include Forks."

"Agreed. My family will assist you with those patrols. Since we do not need sleep, nor do we need to work, it will likely take a lot of stress off of your pack. We would request permission to cross the border while on patrols with members of your pack and if in pursuit of Edward."

Sam looked to Jacob, who nodded tersely. "Agreed."

"We will arrive on Sunday morning. Alice has seen Edward in Los Angeles, so we are relatively sure that he has gone into hiding after what he did this afternoon. The thralled human has unfortunately passed away. My daughter would like for Bella to know that we love her and that none of this is of her doing. Edward was always a bit unpredictable. Had he not gone to the Volturi without making sure she was dead years ago, there never would have been a problem. This is Edward's doing. His impatience and volatile nature has brought us to where we are.' Carlisle sighed. "I had hoped it would never come to this. We are not looking forward to what needs to be done. But it has come to the point that we will do what is necessary. We will be loyal, Sam Uley, and we will fight next to your pack without hesitation. I hope that you will be able to trust me."

Sam was silent for a long moment, his eyes going to Jacob, then resting on Bella, still sitting at his kitchen table, with dark circles under her eyes and her face still splotchy from the many tears that had been shed, most of them in the arms of his wife. "Bella trusts you. Until and unless you prove that trust unfounded, it is enough for the pack." He nodded curtly when Bella's head snapped up. "We'll see you on Sunday."

Bella waited until the phone had been replaced on the cradle. "What just happened?"

"Sam just made a deal with the rest of the Cullens to come and help us with Edward. It would seem that their conscience has finally gotten the best of them. They'll be here Sunday." Jacob sat down, covered Bella's hand with his. "They want to help you."

Bella nodded. "They'll be able to help. They know a lot about the Volturi and about Edward." She pushed her plate back. "Jake, I'm tired. Can we go home?"

Sam and Jacob exchanged a long look full of unsaid words. Emily leaped up to get Bella's coat and wrap up some leftovers. Jacob nodded. "Yeah, baby, we can go home." He stood, held out his hand. "Do you want us to tell them not to come?"

Bella shook her hand. "No. I just want to go to bed. It's been a long day."

Emily hugged her tightly when she brought the coat. "Call if you need anything." She hugged Jacob. "Bring her over in the morning when you go on patrol."

Bella tried to smile, found she couldn't. She let Jacob take her hand, let him lead her to her truck, drive her back to his little red house. He helped her out of her coat, led her into her room, and together, without a word, they laid down on the bed. He gathered her in his arms, holding her against him, and he never let go. Not when the tears came again, not when they tore through her body with such force that they threatened to choke her. Not when they made her eyes nearly swell shut, nor when they subsided into little hiccoughing sobs. He held her through them all, and when she finally succumbed to sleep, he held her then too, all the way until the sun poured through the window and she began to stir. He would have looked over her for an eternity, if that's what it had taken to make her feel safe.


	10. Chapter 10

Oh my goodness! You did it again! Your second bonus chapter in two days! I can't believe it! WOOHOO! You are the BEST reviewers and readers EVER. The outpouring of support has been amazing and I'm so thrilled. This chapter is one that you'll enjoy, though it does have a bit of a cliff hanger. Same rules apply. 20 and the next goes up. If I can't get it for this chapter something's wrong with my writing!

Enjoy!

Bella had spent the rest of the week surrounded by shape shifters. She was never left alone, not even for an instant. She'd had to learn to pee with the door open and a wolf outside. Only when she was home with Jacob could she retreat behind a closed door. Most of her days were spent with Leah and Emily, which made it marginally more bearable. Finally, on Friday, after four days of being guarded and followed, she had had enough.

Leah was laying on the couch, idly flipping through channels when Bella stormed through the room, car keys in her hand. Sighing, she got up to follow, not looking forward to the confrontation she could feel was about to take place.

"You know you're not supposed to go anywhere without one of us."

Bella pulled on her jacket, sighed. "I'm sick of this. I know it's dangerous, I know I'm not supposed to be alone, but it's Friday, and Jake and I are supposed to go into Port Angeles tonight when he's off of work, and all of the clothes that I bought the other day are at his house."

"Bella," Emily's voice was gentle. "I don't know if you're going to be able to go. I doubt Jake is going to want to spend that much time away from the reservation."

"I don't care. It's been four days of nothing other than being in this house or Jake's. I can't take being cooped up any more. I have to get out or I'm going to go crazy." She picked up her purse, slung it over her shoulder. "Now you two can come with me and help me get ready, or you can stay here. I don't really care which. I just need to do this. I can't take one more day of this."

Leah shrugged. "Oh, what the hell. I'll run over to Jake's and get all your stuff. That's quicker than packing up Levi and moving him over there." She started to strip in anticipation of phasing. "I'll be gone five minutes. Do not leave this house. Do not answer the door, do not go to the window. Seth and Paul are on patrol, so if something happens, scream as loud as you can. They'll hear you."

Bella huffed a sigh. "It's five fucking minutes, Leah. We'll manage to survive for that long without a guard dog."

True to her word, it only took Leah five minutes to race to Jacob's house and back. She came in through the door, pulling her shirt on over her head, a duffel bag in one hand. Surprising even herself, she ordered Bella upstairs to take a shower, while she and Emily took stock of what they had to work with. Once they'd picked out an outfit, Leah stepped outside to call Jacob.

"WolfPack Restorations, this is Jacob speaking, how may I help you?"

"Jake, it's Leah."

Instantly alert, Jacob dropped the wrench he'd been holding. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I can't believe I'm doing this, but you do remember that tonight is the night you're supposed to take Bella on your first official real grown up date, don't you?"

Jake laughed at the sarcasm dripping from Leah's voice. "I haven't forgotten. Why?"

"Because she really needs to get off the reservation for a night. She's going stir crazy."

"Don't worry about it. I've made the reservations, I'm cutting out about an hour early to go home and shower. I haven't brought it up to her because I wasn't sure until this morning that I was going to be able to take her. But I've worked it out with Sam and the patrol schedule, so we're going to be able to swing it."

"I'm not sure if she's excited about going out with you, or just getting out for a night."

"I'm pretty sure it's both. It's been rough on everyone having to be cooped up like they have been lately. Rachel is ready to beat in Paul's brains." He chuckled. "Not that I'd mind, really."

"None of us would. What time will you be here to pick her up?"

"Six."

"Okay. Don't be late."

"Girls!" Sam stood at the bottom of the stairs. "It's six, and Jake will be here any second. You need to stop torturing Bella and let her come down here."

Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, a can of hairspray in one hand. "You cannot rush perfection, Samuel Uley. He can wait."

Jacob lifted his eyebrows as he came in the kitchen door and saw Sam. "Hey. Bella ready?"

"I don't think so. Emily and Leah have her in the bathroom up there and there's been a lot of noise and no Bella. Emily said something about rushing perfection and disappeared back in there."

Jake looked down at his maroon button down and dark jeans. "Somehow I think I'm going to be under dressed."

"More likely she'll be over dressed for wherever you're going." Sam opened the fridge, pulled out two bottles of beer, handed one to Jacob. "I'm not keen on interrupting them. I've never seen Leah like this. She actually seems to be bonding with them. She's barely complained about hanging out here all day every day this week."

"She bitches about quitting her job plenty."

Sam laughed. "She hated that damn job with a passion. And she's liking being with Bella and Emily, I think. I like seeing them that way. I like seeing her happy."

"We all do, brother." Jake took a deep pull on the beer. "It's been a miserable few years, and I'm glad it's looking up."

Both men looked up when they heard steps on the stairs, and Bella appeared in the door. "Just let me grab my coat and we'll go." She looked up when neither man moved, found them both staring at her. "What? Is it bad?"

Bella was the most beautiful that Jacob had ever seen her. Her hair had been coaxed into flowing waves, not quite curls, but somewhere in between, so that they flowed down her back and around her shoulders, framing her face in a cloud. One of the women had applied makeup very skillfully, highlighting her striking cheekbones and long eye lashes, then swiping a peachy gloss across her lips. She wore an emerald green blouse that wrapped around her and tied on one side, dipping low enough across her chest to show a hint of cleavage. Her pants were stone grey slacks that hugged her hips and butt and flared out down her legs, leading to leather boots with a heel high enough to make everyone nervous.

Jacob shook his head to break out of the fog. "You're beautiful." He picked up her coat from the hook, held it out for her to slip her arms in. Sam smiled, slid his arm around Emily, who had descended the stairs to stand next to him.

"You look lovely, Bella. You two have fun and don't worry about anything. We've got it all handled here, and we'll call if something happens."

Bella smiled brightly. "Thanks, Sam. You and Emily have been so nice to me since I got here. I don't think I could get through this without the two of you." She glanced to Leah, still halfway up the stairs. "And you're not nearly as bitchy as I thought you were going to be."

Leah barked a laugh. "I'll work on that." She brushed past them. "I'm headed out on patrol. I need to run. Have fun."

Jake let her pass, held out his hand to Bella. "Shall we go?"

Going on a date with Jacob was ethereal. It was so different and nothing like she'd ever experienced all at the same time. They talked and laughed, discussing everything from memories from their childhood, to experiences they'd had in the years Bella had been gone. It was familiar and comfortable and altogether new.

It was as easy as breathing. Bella remembered the words Jacob had spoken to her so long ago. That the two of them being together was as easy as breathing, the natural path their lives should have taken. There was nothing about her that he did not know, nothing that he had not forgiven her for. And on a Friday night, in a dimly lit booth in a quiet Italian restaurant, over plates of lasagna and glasses of wine, Bella Swan fell head over heels in love with her best friend.

It was intense, and sudden, and somehow completely expected. The seeds had been sown years earlier, on the sands of First Beach as two children ran and played in the surf. They had started to grow as teenagers, both thrust into a world they didn't understand, trying to deal with the ramifications of those feelings, and the other creatures they were faced with. And it had come to fruition as adults, coming back together after many years apart, when they were both mature enough to handle the feelings, and in a place where they could turn them into something real.

They had a fantastic time. They ate, shared a dessert, spent an hour walking around Port Angeles, poking around in a bookstore Bella had loved as a teenager, coming out with a bag of books she hadn't before read. There was full moon over head, lighting up the sky to the point that it looked almost daylight. Both were reluctant to go back to La Push, but it was inevitable. Their respite had been brief, but needed, and Bella's mood was much improved as they got back in her SUV.

The drive home was quiet and comfortable. Bella leaned her head on Jacob's shoulder, one of her hands on his thigh. He draped one arm around the back of the seat, the other on the steering wheel. It was when they were on the road leading between Forks and La Push, when they passed the pull off to the cliffs, that Bella straightened.

"Stop the car."

Immediately, Jacob took his foot off the gas and applied the brake. "What's wrong?"

"There's something I want to do. Pull over there on the cliffs. I've never been here at night."

Confused, but willing to play along, he pulled over, and they both got out of the car. One quick sniff told him that they were alone, and he reached for her hand, walking with her to the edge. She glanced over at him, then leaned over to look.

The waves were gentle, lapping against the rocks, and inky black with white caps in the darkness. The moon gave everything a silver sheen, making it look unreal. Bella looked over at Jacob, her eyes lit with adventure.

"Let's jump."

"You're crazy. It's October, and ten at night." Jake shook his head, tugged her back toward the truck.

"Jake, I'm serious. You promised me once that you'd take me, and we never did. I want you to take me tonight."

"I'll take you in July when it's warm. I promise."

Bella dug in her heels, slipped off her jacket and stooped to unzip her boots. "I don't want to wait until July. I feel like doing something a little crazy. Come with me. Please?"

Jake raked his eyes over her face, sighed. "There could be sharks down there, you know."

"You told me once that they smell the wolf and run from them. Sharks are only an issue if I'm jumping alone, which I'm not." She peeled off her socks, yanked her shirt over her head, revealing a black camisole underneath. "Live a little, Jake. What's the worst that can happen? We get wet?"

"Or you kill yourself on the rocks."

"That is why you'll be with me. Werewolf reflexes and all." She smiled brightly as he unbuttoned his shirt. "It'll be fun, you'll see."

Not at all sure, Jake stripped down to his jeans, walked with her to the edge. He reached over, folded her fingers into his. "You sure about this?"

Bella stepped into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take me for a ride, Jake."

Jacob took a step back, lifted her in his arms and ran with her over the edge, the exhilaration from the jump wrenching an excited yell from him that blended with Bella's scream of sheer terror. They plummeted to the water below, sinking deep, the inky blackness closing over their heads. But before Bella could even think about being scared, she felt Jacob propelling them toward the surface, one arm locked around her, the other stroking toward the shore strongly.

They broke the surface at the same time, matching grins on their faces. Bella yelled from excitement, tossed her head back and laughed, water flying from her hair. Jacob thought then that he'd never seen her so happy, so very alive as she was right that moment, shivering from the cold Pacific water, her skin cold and wet on his, head thrown back from excitement, a laugh bubbling out of her.

When she lowered her head, meeting his gaze, everything changed. In an instant, it was like a bomb went off, like a light switched on, the world turned on its axis, and suddenly everything made sense. He could **_feel _**her heart beat, her breath rushing out of her lungs. The rest of the world faded away and all he could see, all he cared about, was Bella. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced, and the most terrifying feeling he'd ever had, all at the exact same time. It was what he'd always simultaneously hoped for and been afraid of, like she was everything that would ever matter, and his very reason for being.

Bella sobered quickly when she felt the shift, though she wasn't sure what she was feeling. "Jake? What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I need to go talk to Sam." He walked with her out of the water. "Let me take you home."

It took only thirty minutes for Jacob to take Bella back to the car, drive her to his house and get her settled inside before he left for Sam and Emily's house. Sam was in the living room, walking the floor, his son in his arms, nearly asleep. Jake slipped in the door, motioned to Sam to follow him outside. Sam nodded, carefully deposited the baby in his playpen, then went after Jake.

"How'd it go?"

"I need you to see something."

Sam lifted his brows. "What happened?"

Jake shook his head. "I don't know. I think, but it couldn't be. It's impossible. I need you to phase with me and tell me if this is real, and if it is, how the fuck it's happened after all this time."

Sensing something was very wrong with his Beta, Sam quickly disrobed and phased into the giant black wolf. Jacob was only a heartbeat behind him, and as soon as he was phased, he was replaying the dive for Sam. He slowed it down when he got to the part where they hit the water, focused on relaying every second, every feeling of their time in the water.

_"Oh my God."_

_ Sam's voice sounded in Jake's head, and he mentally sighed. "Is that what I think it is?"_

_ "Jake, it's not that simple, it's never been simple. It's not about genes. It's about finding what you need, a complement for where you are, what the wolf and the man need. It's always been first sight after phasing, but maybe Bella couldn't be what you need until now. She wasn't in a place where she could do what she needed to do for you."_

_ "__**SAM! Tell me!"**_

****_"You already know. You just imprinted on Bella."_


	11. Chapter 11

So, last chapter hit 20 sometime over night, but, well, I was asleep. And then I had an early class and just now got to check my email, so it's a few hours late, but here is your bonus chapter. Because you're all so wonderful for reviewing like you do, it's a LEMON! I know you'll all enjoy that. Next chapter goes up tomorrow, or whenever I hit 20, whichever is first. Enjoy!

Bella was miserable. She laid in the dark, in the room that had been Billy's, thinking about what had gone wrong. Everything had been perfect. They'd had a wonderful time, and the dive had been the culmination of that. It had been thrilling and perfect, and scary all at once. And then, Jake had looked at her, and in a heartbeat, the world upended.

He'd gone from laughing with her to staring at her like she'd sprouted a second head. And then he couldn't wait to get rid of her, giving some excuse about needing to talk to Sam. He'd looked scared of her, scared to touch her, talk to her, be in the same room as her. And yet, she could feel a tug, deep down in her center, urging her to go to him, a dull ache because he was gone. In that moment in the water, she would swear she'd been able to hear his heart beat, to hear his blood pumping through his veins.

She shot up in bed, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized what she'd just described, what she'd heard Emily, and Rachel, and Kim, even Claire, talk about. Jacob had imprinted. On her.

How was that even possible? He'd seen her a thousand times since he'd phased years before, and he hadn't. She thought long and hard about that, well past she'd heard Jake come in and go upstairs, presumably to bed. Finally, she decided it didn't matter. For whatever reason, by some twist of fate, his wolf had chosen her too.

More convinced than ever that their night was supposed to be special, Bella slipped from bed and went to the shower. She spent half an hour scrubbing salt water from her hair and shaving her legs, then another twenty minutes trying to decide on what to put on. Finally she decided on a black lacy corset and matching panties, with a short silk robe pulled on over it. Then, her hair loose in waves around her face, her heart in her throat, she ascended the stairs.

She paced in front of his door for five minutes, well aware that he could hear her, before she worked up the nerve to raise her hand and knock. He opened the door instantly, his chest bare, skin tan and smooth, his muscles defined and gorgeous. He wore nothing other than black sleep pants, and his hair was slightly too long, falling into his eyes.

"What do you want, Bella?"

She looked up at him, emotion flooding her eyes. She swallowed her nerves, and answered. "You."

Jacob fought the urge to drag her into his arms right then. "You know what happened."

"I figured it out." She reached out, let her fingers drift over his skin, his heat searing her.

"If you come into this room, I won't be able to keep my hands off you. If I don't keep my hands off you, the imprint becomes unbreakable. Sex is accepting the imprint."

Bella nodded. "I know." Hands shaking, she untied her robe, letting it drift to the floor. "I know what it means. I want you." She rose up onto her tiptoes, pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I want you to put your hands on me. I want you to make me yours. I don't want anyone to have any doubt, least of all you. I accept the imprint, Jake. I accept you. I want it, and everything that comes with it. I love you. I'm in love with you. This just proves what you've always known, what I was too stupid to see. That we are supposed to be together. We were made to be together."

With a growl, Jacob dragged her to him, capturing her mouth in a kiss so hot that it was a wonder steam didn't roll off of them. He lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist of their own volition, her hands tangling in his hair. He streaked his hands down her body, over her curves to grip her ass and anchor her against him, the evidence of his desire hard and hot against her center as he crushed her to him.

They tumbled to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Jacob wrenched his mouth from hers, planting hot kisses down her neck. Her head fell to one side, exposing the flesh to him. He worked the clasps on the corset quickly, each one taking only a practiced flick of his wrist. He tossed the fabric aside, his hands taking possession of her breasts. He tested the weight in his hands, stroking the curve of them, brushing his thumbs over the dusky tips.

He rolled her on top of him, sat up in one movement, dipping his head to taste her flesh. He dragged his tongue over her nipple, drew it into his mouth, sucking strongly. Her nails bit into his arms, and her head fell back, hair streaming down her back. He scraped his teeth over the puckered flesh, heard her sharp intake of breath as the line between pain and pleasure blurred.

Slowly, Jacob leaned her back, until she was on her back and looking up at him. He rained kisses on her neck and throat, setting off sparks on her skin until she felt as if she was going to ignite into a ball of fire. His hands moved slowly down her body, sliding over her curves, kneading the flesh on her thighs, then swooping up to hook his fingers in the sides of her panties, drawing them down her legs and tossing them aside.

Completely naked, and feeling vulnerable, Bella reached for the blanket. Jacob snatched it from her, threw it onto the floor and gently took her hands in his, drawing them above her head to expose her entire body for his view.

"You never have to cover up from me." His voice was deep, thick with desire. "You're the single most gorgeous thing I've ever laid eyes on, and I could look at you for the rest of my life and never get bored."

Without giving her a chance to respond, he parted her legs with his hand, bending her knees, and planting her feet in the mattress. A wicked grin on his face, he dipped his head, pressed a kiss to her stomach, trailed his mouth down to her hips. When he nipped the bone there with his teeth, a groan escaped Bella without her permission. He traced the entrance to her body with one finger, his breath catching in his throat when he found her wet and hot.

"You smell fucking amazing."

Confused, Bella lifted up onto her elbows. "Smell?"

Jacob couldn't help but laugh. "It's a wolf thing, babe. Pheromones and hormones. I have super human smell, and I can tell when you're turned on. It's a good thing, I promise."

Before she could push that topic any further, he buried his head between her legs and took her with his mouth and tongue. Her back arched, driving her hips up, pressing herself against him, her moans music to his ears. He licked and sucked, used his finger to press against the bundle of nerves that was the nexus of her, the catalyst for giving her pleasure, and pressed her to the edge until she was panting, his name a harsh whisper as she breathed. Her hands were fisted in the blankets, her hips bucking against him, and still he pressed her even further up the crest of orgasm. Finally, when her whispers had crescendoed to screams, he pulled that bundle of nerves into his mouth, sucking at the same time he flicked it with his tongue, and sent her flying.

She came apart with a shout, her eyes rolling back in her head, her body thrashing on the mattress. Before she had fully come back down, Jacob had stood and removed his clothes. He slid back onto the bed with her. Slowly, her eyes cleared and she rolled toward him, pressing a kiss to his chest. Curious, her hands slid down his chest, to his waist, and then to the protruding flesh.

She wrapped her hands around him timidly, amazed at how something was so very hard and so velvety soft at the same time. She lightly ran her fingers down the not inconsiderable length of him, from base to tip. When she found a drop of moisture at the tip, she used her finger to spread it, making him moan. She slid her hand down, making a loose fist with her fingers, exploring the length and girth, becoming familiar with the only flesh on his body she had never before seen.

When his fingers folded over hers, stopping her movements, she looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Jacob laughed, the sound rumbling in his chest. "Nothing. It feels amazing, baby, but if you keep doing that, we might not get to the main act."

Color rushing into her cheeks, she snatched her hands back. Before she could convince herself that she'd done something wrong, he nudged her onto her back, lifting her hips in his big hands reverently, moving to position himself between her thighs, the steely hardness of his erection brushing against the soft flesh of her thighs. His higher body temperature made her jump, and she reached up to wrap her fingers around his wrists. Her eyes locked onto his, without a word he asked, and without a word, she answered. He lowered himself onto her, taking her mouth with his at the same instant he entered her with one strong thrust.

The cry that wrenched from her when he tore through her virginity had tears springing to her eyes. Jacob froze in shock, his body going tense, his muscles turning to iron as he forced himself to stay absolutely still, to not even so much as shift within her and cause her more pain. She turned her head, buried her face in his shoulder, simultaneously humiliated and hurt.

Immediately switching roles, Jake nuzzled her face with his nose, making comforting noises. When she looked to him, he kissed her gently. "My God, Bella, why didn't you tell me?"

She shook her head. "I didn't want it to make a difference. I didn't want it to stop you."

The smile that split his face surprised them both. "Honey, nothing on Heaven or Earth could have stopped me the second you came in here tonight. But I damn sure wouldn't have done it like this. I'd have been gentle with you." He wiped a tear from her cheek. "Do you want to stop?"

She shook her head again, quicker that time. "No. I want this. I want you. I knew it would hurt the first time."

"It won't hurt for long."

Jacob reached between their bodies, stroked her with his fingers, trying to ease the pain. Incrementally, her body relaxed around him. She was wet, but she was tight, contracting around him like a fist. Eventually, the feeling that she was being split in half ebbed and was replaced with a deliciously full feeling, like he filled her up completely, like he'd been made to fit perfectly inside her body in a way that no one else ever would have been able to.

When her face relaxed, Jacob began to move, rocking his hips against hers, giving her friction where she needed it the most. When her back arched off the bed and a moan escaped her lips, he slid almost completely out of her and then back in, a long, heavy thrust that made Bella's eyes roll back in her head. Seeing that she was enjoying herself, he moved slightly faster. Her legs lifted on their own, wrapping around his lean waist, anchoring him to her. Her hips rose to meet his thrusts, and as her body adjusted to his girth, she felt her body start to climb the crest of pleasure again.

Jacob read her body, knew exactly what she needed, seemingly before she knew she needed it. He held her on the precipice until she was thrashing and begging, her body and voice acting without the permission of her brain. Finally, when she thought she was going to die from want, he buried himself deep within her, and sent her flying over the edge and into release, following her a heartbeat later.

"You should have told me."

Bella looked up, her gaze finding Jacob's. "I didn't want it to matter. I didn't think you'd believe me."

"How is it even possible? You and Edward never?"

"He wouldn't. He was scared he wouldn't be able to control himself, that he'd hurt me. Or drink all my blood." She drew shapes on his chest idly. "I'm glad we didn't."

"And all these years, no drunken one night stands? Not a single other boyfriend?"

"Edward would have killed them." She said it so simply, so matter of factly, that Jacob felt his heart break for her. "The way you're acting I sorta feel like I should be apologizing for not sleeping with anyone."

"No, no, not at all." He lifted her up for a kiss. "I just can't comprehend that I get to be the first."

"And the last."

Those words filled his heart until he was afraid it might burst. "I'm not sure how this happened. Sam thinks it's that you were always meant for me, but that until now, we weren't in a place where we could be what we needed to be to one another. That you weren't who my wolf needed you to be until now."

"It makes sense. Has anything like this ever happened before?"

"Not that I've ever heard of." He ran his hand over her hair. "In a hundred years, we'll be the story that they tell around the bonfires. Imprinting is supposed to be rare, and we honestly don't know much about it. It had been so long since the last wolves needed to phase that everyone who went through it was dead by the time Sam phased. It happened when we came up, when you yelled. I was thinking about how beautiful you were, how happy and how alive, and that I didn't think I'd ever seen you look like that before, and I was glad it was there with me."

"And then the world turned upside down."

Surprised, Jacob raised up onto his elbows. "You felt it too?"

"I felt something. It felt like getting snapped with a rubber band. Everything shifted, and snapped into focus. I'm not explaining it well."

"No, that's exactly right."

"So what do we do now?"

"Typically there's a joining ceremony. The elders have a ritual that they do, they say prayers and wave incense and tie our hands together, and explain what imprinting means and that it's forever. They ask if you accept it, and if you do, everyone eats, drinks and parties until I sweep you off and we have lots of raunchy sex to cement the imprint."

"Did Sam and Jared and Paul do it?"

"Yeah. We'll also choose a couple to be our spiritual guides. Sam and Emily have Emily's parents, even though they're Makah, Paul and Rachel chose Paul's grandparents, and Jared and Kim chose Kim's parents. "

"What do they do?"

"It's like marriage counselors. Someone that can know about the imprint, that's been approved by the council to know, and that is there to guide us through the transition from individuals into a pair, into mates. It's a Quileute thing, a spiritual, Indian thing."

"So we would need to pick someone?"

"If we do the ceremony, yeah, we would."

"Why wouldn't we do the ceremony?" She sat up. "Do you not want people to know?"

"Babe, I couldn't hide this from the pack if my life depended on it. The next time we phase, they're all going to know. If we do it, we'll be married in the eyes of the tribe. It's not just some ceremony, they consider it to be a wedding. Every pair has had a real wedding later, but in the eyes of the council, of my people, you would be my wife."

Hurt flooded her eyes. "And you don't want that."

"No! God, either I'm royally screwing this up or you're purposely taking it the wrong way. Bella, I have loved you for all my life. I just don't want you to feel rushed or hurried. This is a lot to take in, a lot to deal with, and with everything going on, I just want you to be sure. I don't want you to have any doubts about me, about us, about anything before we go through with it."

"We've already had sex. The imprint can't be broken. So it's not like we can ever be apart anyway."

Jacob nodded at her logic. "That's true. Which makes it even more important that you're sure. I don't want you to be here because of the damn imprint. I know I've always loved you. I want you to make sure that this is what you really feel."

Bella placed her hands on his face. "Listen to me closely, Jacob Black. I want you. I want this. I want it all. I want the imprint, I want the ceremony, I want to spend my life with you. I loved you when I was eighteen years old, I love you now. I loved you before we jumped off that cliff, and I will love you until the day that I die. Loving you is easy. It's right. It's natural, an extension of me. I don't have to try to force it, or make it work, it just does. It always has. So stop worrying."

Jacob nodded slowly. "Okay. When do you want to do this?"

Bella grinned. "How about next weekend?"


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry I'm a day late. I got swamped with work yesterday and by the time I got home, I just wanted to crash. Here is chapter 11. I know you'll all love it. 20 and next chapter goes up. Enjoy!

Jacob hadn't ever slept better in his life than he did that night. Bella was wrapped in his arms, her little body pressed up against his, her head on his shoulder, her legs tangled with his. He'd tucked a blanket around them so that she wouldn't get cold, ignoring the heat. When she woke through the night, turned to him, he found that even better than incredibly hot sex with Bella was sleepy, barely awake sex with Bella. By the time they collapsed to the mattress that second time, they were both exhausted, and tumbled headfirst into sleep together.

When he woke, the first thing he noticed was that Bella was not next to him. Panicked, he jumped out of bed, then realized what had woken him was the sound of voices downstairs. Bella was one of them, and the other was Sam. After a moment, he heard Emily and Embry as well. Convinced that she was safe, he headed into the shower, dressed and then went downstairs.

Bella was manning the stove, making French toast. Emily was chasing Levi, who was in his walker, and Sam and Embry were at the kitchen table, gobbling the bread as fast as Bella could dish it out. He went to her, sliding his arms around her from behind, lowering his head to nuzzle her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Morning, sleepy head." She lifted up to brush a kiss over his lips, then turned to pour him a cup of coffee. "Hungry?"

"Always." He took the coffee, joined the other two men at the table. Embry wiggled his eyebrows excitedly.

"Sam showed me what happened." He clapped Jacob's shoulder. "Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"

"I'm still not sure how the hell it happened after knowing her for two decades, but yeah, it's pretty awesome." He drank deeply, looked over at Bella. "I'm just thankful that it was now instead of back in high school."

Bella sat a plate in front of Jacob, leaned against his shoulder. "Would have made everything even more difficult." She ran her hand over his hair. "We're muddling through it."

"Given that you smell like you're covered in Jake, I'd say you're muddling just fine." Embry ducked when Bella threw a piece of toast at him, laughed when Jacob slapped him in the back of the head. "I'm just saying is all. And it's true. You know it's true, Sam knows it's true."

Bella bent to offer Levi a chunk of French toast, smiled when he snatched it from her hand and immediately bit into it with his four teeth. "Nothing is going to change, boys. Jake and I were figuring it out before he imprinted, and we're going to continue to figure it out now. The only difference is that now we know the universe thinks we should be together too."

"There's no figuring out once you imprint. It's there and it's never going away."

"The feelings never went away to begin with. The things we have to deal with still need to be worked out."

Emily cleared her throat. "The imprint doesn't mean you never fight, Embry. It doesn't mean you never have to work through a problem. You just always know at the end of the day that you'll figure it out, make one another happy, and that everything will get figured out. It doesn't dictate how you act, it doesn't make it so you can't get mad at each other. It capitalizes on what would have emerged on its own. Imprinting is about a soul recognizing its counterpart. And I think Sam is right. It's not only about what the wolf needs, but what the man needs as well. Jake and Bella needed to get to the point in their lives where being together made sense, where it wasn't just a primal urge. That point is obviously now. And I, for one, couldn't be happier about it."

Jacob finished his breakfast, pushed his plate back. "It's not a huge deal, guys. We have bigger things to focus on. The rest of the Cullens are going to be here tomorrow morning. We need to discuss how it's going to work."

Sam nodded. "You're right, we do. But this should be a pack decision. And the girls. Them being here opens a whole new can of worms, but we need their help, so we'll figure it out."

Bella cleared her throat. "Before we get off on business, there's one other thing I'd like to discuss if we can. It's why I called you and Emily this morning, Sam, actually."

Jacob lifted on eyebrow. "I thought they just showed up."

"Embry did just show up." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "I called Sam and Emily." She turned to the older couple. "Jake and I have decided to have the joining ceremony next weekend. He's explained to me that it's an important part of your tribal history, and it's something that every imprinted couple is supposed to do with the elders. He went over the implications, that in the eyes of the tribe, we'd be married. I want to do it. I want to prove to everyone that I'm in this for good, and I can't think of a better way. I want Jake to know it, to not have any doubt about my intentions. He's also told me that we're supposed to choose our spiritual guides." She paused, looked at Jacob, who had caught on, and who nodded subtly. "Unless Jake has some objection to it, I was wondering if you two would be willing?"

Emily teared up almost instantly, and rushed over to hug Bella. "We'd be honored. Oh, of course we will! I'm so glad you asked." She looked over her shoulder at her husband. "Sam, say something."

Sam rose, took Bella's hands in his. "I haven't always been your biggest fan. You always seem to know how to bring trouble with you." He smiled crookedly. "But you make up for it with how happy you make Jake. And deep down, I think you always mean well." He stooped to kiss her cheek, enveloped her into his arms in a bear hug. "Welcome to our family, Bella."

Tears choking her, Bella threw her arms around Sam, burying her face in his neck in a futile attempt to hide them. Jacob had his arm tossed around Emily, who was also fighting tears. Sam patted her back, then gently sat her away from him. Embry, knowing it was time to break the tension, smiled widely.

"So there goes any hope of getting Bella to run off and marry me."

Jake laughed, smacked Embry on the back of the head. "You've had a crush on my girl since we were fifteen."

"Yeah, she wasn't exactly your girl back then. Only reason she's yours is because you saw her first." he wrapped his arms around Bella, kissed her square on the mouth, his eyes full of good humor. "If I'd seen you first, baby, I'd have had you years ago."

Bella smiled, hugged Embry tight. "You're sweet, Em, but you're just not my type."

Emily stooped to pick up her son, settling him on one hip easily. "Bella, you and I can work on some of the details. What food you want, who we should invite, what you're going to wear, that sort of thing." she waved her hand when Sam started to speak. "Oh can it, Sam. The Cullens are coming, we know. They're coming to help you. Not one of them has done anything to any human in centuries. Bella thinks we can trust them, you obviously think we can trust them since you decided to let them come."

"We still need to determine the rules."

Again, Emily glared at him. "Desperate times, honey. Let them on the reservation, let them come and go as they need to, and work with them. No one knows Edward better, no one knows more about these other vampires." She sighed. "I know I'm not a pack member, I'm not a wolf, but sometimes you men just talk and talk and talk some more, when we all know what the right answer is, and you just don't want to hear it. So hear it this time, boys. If the Volturi get here and we're not prepared, it's likely that every single person in La Push could be killed. I am not going to just sit home like a good housewife and let your pride endanger my son!" she jabbed Sam in the chest in a move so comical that both Embry and Jake had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing. Bella just watched in awe. "So you will let them do whatever they need to do, and you will be civil. We've never had problems with the Cullens before, and unless something happens, I don't think we need to waste time and energy with arbitrary rules."

Sam sighed, embarrassed that Emily was telling him off in front of two members of his pack. Regardless, he knew when he was beaten, and he knew when she was right. And she was. With a shrug, he held up his hands. "Okay, you win. Unless the pack objects, we'll let the Cullens on the reservation until this is over and done with."

Embry went to the fridge, got out a can of soda. "No problems here. I know Seth will be fine. He likes the Cullens. It'll be Paul and Leah that have issues with it. Jared goes with the flow, and Quil won't care. Collin and Brady just want it over with so they can go back to school. They're pissed they have to take a semester off and if them being here will make this go quicker, they'll be all for it."

"Are you out of your fucking minds?" Leah surged to her feet, her voice going up two octaves. "Leeches! On our land?! This has to be a joke!"

"Leah, calm down." Jacob leaned forward onto his knees, his voice soothing and firm. "We've discussed it, and we think this is what is best for the tribe. The Cullens have valuable information, they're muscle, and they don't need to sleep or work. It takes a lot of pressure off of us, and gives us insight into the Volturi and Edward that we can use to get out of this alive. Opening up the borders makes sense. We shouldn't be putting our energy into fighting them, when they can help up fight the other vampires."

Surprisingly, Paul nodded. "Picking our battles. If we don't have the border to protect, we can expand into Forks, and be more efficient with how we patrol. I'm not a fan of letting them come up here whenever they want, but it makes sense to work together. We have to prioritize, Leah. Edward is the immediate threat, and I'm okay with taking advantage of anything that lets us get rid of him faster."

Bella cleared her throat. "Leah, I know you don't like it, I know none of you like it. Honestly, I don't like it. I loved the Cullens, once upon a time, and they're good people. But when it comes to Edward, they've been pretty weak. For whatever reason, they've realized they can't keep turning a blind eye to what he's doing, so they want to help. And I know part of the reservations that you have is because of me.

"I know I haven't always given you reasons to believe that I want to be here, that I want to be with Jacob. I know what you all thought when I left, what you've believed these years. But I want to be here. I want to be with Jake. I don't want to go back with the Cullens, I don't want to be a vampire, and if being here, with all of you means that I can never see or talk to them again, then that's what I'll do. I'm not going to hurt Jake, especially not now."

Leah quirked an eyebrow. "Especially not now? What does that even mean?"

Jacob slid an arm around Bella's waist. "Sam can vouch for it, since he saw it when I phased last night. I imprinted last night. On Bella."

Embry bounced excitedly. "Sam showed me this morning. He did. It was awesome!"

There was a heartbeat of silence before the room erupted in chaos. Hugs and kisses were passed out liberally, congratulations were offered, and even Leah was happy. For a few minutes, the threat of Edward, of the Volturi, it went to the back burner as the pack came together to celebrate. They asked questions about the how, demanded details, made jokes. And for the rest of that evening, things were normal, and everything else faded away.

Bella yawned as she walked in the door of Jacob's house, her eyes drooping. A glance at the clock told her it was past two in the morning, and that there was only seven hours before they had to meet the Cullens. Jacob came in behind her, hung his keys on the hook just inside the door.

"Ready for bed?"

Bella nodded, hopped on one foot to pull off her tennis shoes. "Sleepy."

"You'll be even more tired tomorrow."

"I'll survive. I just need a few hours sleep and a couple pots of coffee. That'll keep me going." She smiled at him, felt her heart swell with love as he took her coat to hang it up. "Jake?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he opened the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of beer. "What do you want?"

"To not be scared every night when I lay down that I'll be slaughtered in my sleep." She laughed at the look on his face. "Hey, you asked."

Serious, Jake crossed the room. "You don't feel safe?"

"I feel safe when I'm with you. Last night I did. It's the first night in over four years that I haven't been afraid to close my eyes." She took a drink of his beer. "So I guess what I want is to move my things upstairs to your room. I know that it's fast, and we've only been together a few days, and only slept together the once, but we've never been typical."

Jacob laughed. "You really think I'd let you stay down here? Honey, even if I didn't want you with me, the imprint would make it impossible for me to sleep up there with you down here. I'd end up in the floor outside your door."

"Jake, how is this going to work? This obviously isn't going to be a normal relationship."

"It can work however we want it to. If you want to run off to city hall and get married and spend the next ten years having babies, then we can do that. If you want to take it slow, spend ten years living together and making sure it works, then adopt a couple kids, we can do that. Bells, the imprint isn't going to make us do anything. It just erases some of the doubt, makes it so we know that no one else will ever come between us." He chuckled, took her in his arms. "We can do whatever we want."

Bella laid her head on his chest, smiled when he bent slightly to lift her into his arms, carried her up the stairs. "I wish we knew how this was going to end."

"That would take all the fun out of it." He kissed her forehead. "We'll get through it, Bells. We'll live long lives together."

"And will you still love me when you still look twenty five and I'm eighty?"

Suddenly serious again, he deposited her on the bed. "Bella, I don't intend to phase forever. Once the threat of the vampires is gone, and the next generation gets a few years older, we're all going to stop. None of us want to be wolves for eternity. Sam doesn't want to watch his son grow old and die. Neither does Paul, or Jared."

Bella smiled as she shimmied out of her jeans and wiggled her bra off through the sleeve of her shirt. "Jake, I'd take one life with you over an eternity with someone else. I don't want to be anywhere else, or with anyone else."

Jacob pulled his shirt over his head, slid into the bed with her. "Good. Then that's how it's going to go."

Bella curled into him, her head finding the space in the curve of his shoulder that felt as if it had been specifically made for her. And thinking about it, given the imprint, it crossed her mind that maybe it had been made specifically for her. When Jake drew her up for a kiss, when she felt the now familiar burn deep within her, she had no hesitations. She went into his arms, opened her heart and her body for him, taking him deep inside her, loving him with everything she had, taking everything he offered. And when her body arched against his in climax, he was right there with her, following her over the edge into ecstasy.

After, neither spoke, but merely settled down together, her back to his chest, his arms holding her close as they drifted into sleep together. Even though neither of them knew what the next day would bring, in that moment, it didn't matter. They were together, and that was all that was important. And in that moment, wrapped in the arms of the one even the universe thought was right for her, Bella experienced something she had never thought she would, would not know she was experiencing for several more weeks. Deep within her, a second joining had occurred, and the tiny flickers of life, so small and tenuous, were fanned into flame.


	13. Chapter 13

And here we meet the Cullens! You gave me 20 reviews, I give you a chapter today instead of tomorrow. 20 more and you get another today, but if not, the next one will be posted tomorrow morning. Enjoy it and let me know what you think. As a warning, this does get dark in the next few chapters. More squeamish readers should probably avoid after the next two or three.

Enjoy!

Carlisle Cullen was wearing jeans. That was the first thought that crossed Bella's mind when she walked out of the woods and into the clearing where they were to meet the Cullens. He was wearing jeans, and a tucked in button down shirt with a powder blue sweater over it. She'd never seen him dressed so casually. It was enough to throw off her stride.

Esme was dressed effortlessly as always, in linen slacks, boots, and a sweater set, with pearls, and her hair perfectly swept up into a chignon. Alice was perky as always, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Jasper and Emmett stood behind the others, Emmett with his arms crossed over his chest, but a smile making one corner of his mouth twitch. Rosalie leaned against a tree, looking bored, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders in perfect curls.

"Bella." Esme's voice was warm and welcoming, and she rushed forward, folding Bella into a hug. Bella felt Jacob tense next to her, but she returned the cool embrace with sincere happiness at seeing them again. "I'm so glad you're alright. I swear to you, we had no idea what was going on with Edward. We didn't know he was here."

"I know." Bella leaned her head against Esme's shoulder for a moment, then drew back and reached for Jacob's hand. "Things have changed since I was here last time."

Carlisle smiled. "I can see that. We just want to see you happy, Bella." He extended a hand to Sam, then to Jacob. "Thank you both for letting us come. You remember my wife, Esme, our daughters Alice and Rosalie, and our sons Jasper and Emmett."

Sam nodded. "Thank you for coming. We're happy to have the extra help. We've made some decisions regarding what we think the rules should be moving forward from here."

Carlisle held out his hands. "Please."

"For the time that you're here helping with Edward and the Volturi, we will make an exception to the treaty. Your family is welcome on the reservation, with certain exceptions. While you may come and go as needed, we would prefer that you avoid any interactions with members of the tribe that don't know about the wolves and vampires. We would also prefer you not interact with the Elders, since we're doing this without their knowledge."

"We find no issues with that at all. Is there more?"

"You offered to help us patrol, and we'll take you up on that offer. We would like one of you and one wolf to patrol during the day, and two wolves and one of your family during the night. If you feel you need to send more, that's your decision. If needed, we would like you to also be on standby to stay with our families as protection."

Carlisle nodded. "Your trust is an unexpected surprise."

"Bella is Jacob's imprint. We trust her implicitly. And she assures us that our families are as safe with you as they are with us. I told you on the phone, and I'll repeat it here. You have our trust until and unless you give us a reason to revoke it." Sam sighed. "We've all, shall we say, matured since you were last here. We're a more experienced pack, more mature, and better able to control our tempers. I realize we may have contributed to the problems between our families before. We all hope that we can work together and keep everyone in La Push and Forks safe."

"That is all that we want as well. We're moving into our home in Forks, the same one as before. If there are no objections, we'll continue to hunt in the preserve as we always have. We'll see to it that each of us feeds each night to eliminate any concerns about that. We intend to keep our presence as low key as possible. We don't wish for anyone else in Forks to know that we're here. It would raise too many questions this soon after we were last here. I'm sure you can understand."

"Of course. Do you have any issues with our arrangement that need to be discussed?"

Alice scampered up and whispered in Carlisle's ear, so low not even the wolves could hear her. He smiled, nodded. "I'll ask." He turned to the wolves. "My daughter would like to know if it would be possible to go to lunch with Bella and catch up. We'll be glad, of course, to have any measure of protection with her that you feel is necessary."

Sam turned, looked at Jacob, who shrugged. Bella, her face lit up with a wide smile, nodded. Sam sighed. "Yeah, sure. Jake and Seth will go with her." He sighed again, torn. "It's not that we don't trust you. You wouldn't be here if we thought you were a danger to Bella. It's just early yet in this, and we need to acclimate to it. You can understand how unsettling it is for us to just hand her over by herself to your family."

Carlisle nodded gracefully. "There is no need to explain your reasoning to me. Bella is important to us as well. I know that you're not yet sure of us, Sam Uley, but I swear to you that your families will see no harm come to them so long as there is life left in any member of mine. I will be available for any medical concerns during our stay. I have some knowledge of the shifter physiology, as you know, and am happy to make myself useful. My wife is an excellent cook, and I know she would love nothing more that to spend her time feeding a pack of wolves. Rosalie can help in your business, Jacob, if patrols cause you to fall behind in your restorations. Vampires do not sleep, so we have a lot more flexibility than your pack members. Since we do not have a need for employment, we will happily dedicate all hours to this cause. Jasper, I'm sure you'll remember, has experience fighting vampires, and he is again willing to train with your pack to brush up on their skills."

Jacob felt himself become grudgingly impressed. "Thanks. The most important thing right now is that we learn what we're dealing with with the Volturi. We need to know who they are, what they can do, and how we can fight them the most effectively."

Carlisle nodded. "Of course. I'm happy to give you all of those answers, and all the information that I have. Perhaps you would like to join us for dinner tonight?" he glanced to Esme. "Would that give you enough time to prepare a meal?"

Esme looked hesitant, but nodded. "I'll do my best. We'd love to have you."

Bella shifted from foot to foot. "I could help." She looked at Sam. "We could ask Emily to help."

Sam staunchly ignored the terror that skittered up his spine at the thought of his beloved wife and son in the Cullen house. He battled it back down, took several deep breaths to calm himself. They had done nothing to make him believe they were not being completely honest, and he had to learn to rely on them. He nodded. "My wife is an excellent cook, and has quite a lot of experience feeding the pack. She'll be able to help you learn how much we eat." He couldn't help a small smile. "You don't know what you've just volunteered to do, Mrs. Cullen."

"Please, call me Esme." She smiled graciously. "We don't eat, can't, but I do so love to cook, and I'd be pleased to have your wife's help in learning your tastes. Bella and Alice can visit at the house, and we'll have a nice ladies afternoon while we catch up."

Carlisle smiled lovingly at his wife. "If you wish to start now, Sam, I'll have Emmett go out on patrol with your wolf that is in charge today."

Rosalie pushed off the tree, her eyes going to Jacob. "Can I see the shop? I've seen your stuff online, it's not half bad."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I'll take you up there. We'll gladly take the extra patrols now."

"Fantastic." Carlisle clapped his hands. "Now that that's settled, Jasper and I will finish the chores associated with relocating again so soon. Emmett, you'll patrol until dark, and then Alice can take over. Esme, please make a grocery list and I'll do the marketing for you. Rose, you'll go with Jacob, and stay until he asks you to leave, then come straight home. We will not overstay our welcome on the reservation. Since you're not coming, Jacob, who would you like to accompany Bella?"

Leah shrugged. "I'll go. I don't have anything better to do, and if it's going to be all girl talk anyway."

Sam nodded. "Seth, you'll stay phased outside of their house in case something goes on." He looked around. "I won't lie and tell you I'm thrilled about this." Everyone chuckled nervously. "But I am hopeful that it will work out for the best. A lot of mistakes were made in the past by everyone, and I hope we can avoid them this time. I know you're important to Bella, and since she's my sister now, what she wants is important to me, to everyone in this pack. So everyone in my pack will treat your family with respect and hospitality. If they don't, they'll answer to me."

"I appreciate that, Sam. I expect nothing less from my family. The situation we find ourselves in is unfortunate, and is partially our fault. Edward is my son, and I feel responsible for what he has done. We'll respect your boundaries, and your rules, and I speak for everyone when I say that despite all the unpleasantness, we are looking forward to working together."

With that, Carlisle again extended his hand to Sam, who took it in a firm shake. With that small gesture, the sometimes seemingly impenetrable wall between vampires and werewolves began to crumble.

The letter was on the giant island in the Cullens' kitchen. A single piece of ivory stationary, leaned up against a crystal vase with a single red rose in it. Bella's heart dropped into her stomach when she came through the door and saw it. Alice and Esme, both chattering excitedly and loaded down with grocery bags, stopped abruptly as they saw it. Emily and Leah, bringing up the rear, watched the scene unfold in confusion. Finally, Leah spoke.

"Umm, what's with the traffic jam?"

Bella reached forward, picked up the letter. "You don't smell him?"

"Bella, the whole damn place smells like vampire. Who am I supposed to be smelling?"

Esme sighed. "Edward has been here since we last left to come meet your pack in the clearing." She laid a hand on Bella's shoulder. "Do you want to tell us what it says?"

Her voice quivering, Bella began to read.

_Beloved Isabella,_

_My patience grows thin. How many chances do you expect me to give you before I show you how serious this situation is? This will be your third. I feel I am already being far too generous with you. You have made me chase you for more than three of your years. Darling, all I want, all I have ever wanted, is for us to spend eternity together._

_I know that you're tied up with the wolves, and that they intimidate you, but there is no need to be afraid. I can protect you from all of them. I have the whole of the Volturi on my side, and with them behind us, the wolves would not stand a chance._

_If you continue to make me wait, I will be forced to show you that I am not going to take no for an answer. The wolves have wives, some have children. Children are the most delectable treats. Their blood is thick and sweet. I imagine it's the same as a candy bar is for you humans. Please do not force my hand. I beg of you, Isabella, come to me before it is too late. The Volturi grow evermore impatient. If you do not come to me soon, they will arrive, and then you may be killed. They have seen through me how delicious your blood is and I fear they will want it for their own. _

_I cannot even be sure that I have the control to keep from draining you. I want to believe that I can make you into my mate, that I can keep you forever. I will try with everything that I have. I love you. My darling. My singer. Please do not force me to do the terrible things I fear I must do to show you how much I love you, that I am worthy of your companionship. I will slaughter all of La Push for you!_

_Come to me, Bella. Their lives depend on it._

_Eternally,_

_E._

Alice barely got the trash can to Bella before she started throwing up.


	14. Chapter 14

Here is your regularly scheduled update. Next chapter included a huge lemon, so I know you'll all want to get to that. 20 reviews gets it. Let me know what you think about everything thus far.

"Edward wouldn't do those things." Alice paced the kitchen, nervously tugging on a lock of her hair. "He wouldn't do this. He's crazy, but he's not that crazy."

Esme looked up from where she was mixing a feta and spinach stuffing to go inside the chicken breasts she had meticulously split. "Alice, darling, your brother is very sick. He doesn't know what he's doing, he doesn't understand the ramifications of his actions. We've spent too much time believing that he would come back to us." She looked to Bella sadly. "I'm so sorry about all of this. We had no idea he knew we were back in town. He must be watching the house. And we're so used to his smell, it's no wonder we didn't notice it."

Leah snagged an olive, popped it into her mouth. "I think we're going to have to spend some time learning your scents versus his so that we can tell him apart from the rest of you. You all smell like candied corpses."

Alice stopped pacing, her nose wrinkling. "And you smell like a wet dog. What's your point?"

"That my eau de wet dog might be slightly different from Paul's, and his different from Jake, and so on." She huffed a sigh. "I wasn't trying to insult you. Believe me, I'd be much more obvious about it if I were."

Emily studiously kneaded a batch of pie crust, Bella standing next to her, staring intently into a bowl of cherries. "I think maybe a change of subject is for the best. The guys are out looking for him. With eight wolves and four vampires, he can't go far."

"He's evaded us for this long. I doubt they'll catch him today. He could have done that the minute you left to come to the meeting. That would give him at least an hours' head start."

As if on cue, Carlisle came through the front door, Jacob on his heels, both wearing expressions of frustration. Esme looked up, anxiety evident on her face. "Anything?" he shook his head.

"Edward has laid down a very complex scent maze all over the city, and onto the reservation. None of it more than two hours old. It would seem that while we were all meeting, he was plotting to throw off any chance we had of tracking him. By the time we untangled the knots in the damn thing, he'd disappeared into the ocean, which masks the scent." Carlisle slammed his hand into the granite countertop, cracking it. "Forgive me, ladies, I'm feeling rather anxious at the moment. If you'll excuse me, I believe I need to spend a few moments in my study before I'm a fit host for company."

Esme looked even more concerned as she watched her husband retreat up the stairs. Her eyes went to Jacob and Leah. "Please don't think any less of him. The stress of this whole thing, of being forced to kill our own child, it's become a bit much to bear. His patience is stretched a bit thin."

Jacob shook his head. "I actually like seeing him get a little pissed off. Maybe you guys aren't so bad after all." He went to Bella, kissed her lightly. "You doing okay?"

"I'll be fine." She glanced around the room. "I'm better guarded than Fort Knox."

Feeling only slightly cheesy, Jake grinned. "It's only fitting, since you're more precious." He stroked a hand over her hair. "Collin and Brady have volunteered to patrol while the rest of us attend dinner here tonight, Mrs. Cullen. They've asked me to ask you to save them any leftovers. We've been smelling that lasagna for the last forty minutes and it's killing the puppies."

Despite herself, Esme smiled. "I'll make sure to save a plate for them." She looked around worriedly. "Do you think there will be enough food?"

Jake surveyed the six pans of lasagna, thirty chicken breasts, fourteen pies and various side dishes, ranging from mussels in cream sauce to macaroni and cheese. "Ma'am, I think you've made enough to feed twenty wolves."

Pleased, Esme went back to work on the chicken. "I'd prefer it if you could call me Esme. Bella is like a daughter to me, and I won't have any mate of hers referring to me so formally." She smiled cautiously. "I hope you know that, Jacob. That in my heart, Bella is one of my children. We would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. We have only ever wanted to see her happy. When that included being one of us, then we wanted it for her. Now that includes being with you, a member of the pack. So we want nothing more than to see her stay with you and live long lives and die old and gray."

Jacob found himself oddly moved by Esme. She seemed at home in the kitchen, moving gracefully, and her smile touched everyone in the room. Her hands, while hard as stone, worked gently as she cooked, and though her heart didn't beat and her skin was cold, she still seemed to glow with a maternal warmth that he hadn't see since before his own mother had died. He nodded slightly.

"Somehow, Esme, I think I'm starting to believe that. I never dreamed I'd see the day that I was having dinner in a vampire's house. Let alone with the rest of my pack and their families." His gaze went to Levi, who was toddling around in the cavernous living room, a teething ring in one hand, juice cup in the other. "But we've always been pretty dysfunctional."

Dinner was a rousing success. Eight wolves, five vampires, and seven humans in the same room, and there was no bloodshed. Jacob sat shoulder to shoulder with Jasper, Seth and Emmett were fast friends, and Emily and Esme seemed to have been cut from the same cloth, both flitting around making sure glasses were filled and that plates never ran empty. Levi and Paul and Rachel's daughter Sarah, were passed around, spending time on the abundance of available laps, while the adults talked and laughed. Finally, Carlisle stood, clinking a butter knife against a glass of red wine.

"While I hate to cut this short, I can see that the young ones are already getting sleepy, and I've not yet told you what you want to know. So before the tired ones turn into grumpy ones, if no one is opposed, I'll give you a run down of the Volturi." When no one spoke, he nodded, looked wistfully into the glass. "There are few things I miss about being human as much as I miss an excellent glass of red." He smiled. "But that is neither here nor there. Now, the Volturi is made up of thirty two vampires, thirty three if you include Edward amongst their ranks. They are ruled by three, Aro, Caius, and Marcus. Aro's wife, Sulpicia, and Caius' wife Athenodoro are also leaders, though they never leave Volterra. Those three have existed for more than three millennia. They're the oldest that we know of, and they cannot be overestimated. Aro can read every thought that you've ever had just by touching your skin. One touch, and he knows it all. You can't block him. Marcus can sense relationships, both what and how strong. For example, Paul, he would know by looking that Rachel is your wife. He would also know if you leaving socks on the floor causes issues, and that you love it when she brings you a beer. Every strength, every weakness, he knows them as soon as he sees you."

"That seems like a stupid ability." Leah scoffed. "We're supposed to be scared of that?"

Gently, Carlisle scolded her. "Leah, if Aro touches you, he'll know your plan, what you know, every move that you planned to make. Every preparation you'd made would suddenly be useless. Marcus would know who you love the most so he would know how he can hurt you the worst. Would you be able to keep your cool if he tore your brother to pieces in front of you? Or if he knew immediately who your mother was and how he could use her against you?"

Leah conceded the point with a nod, her gaze falling to her plate.

"Caius does not have any mental abilities. However, he is bloodthirsty, and on a physical level, he is the most dangerous. There is not one vampire I know of that could win against Caius in a fight. He is brutal. The guard consists of thirty two, as I've said. Amongst them are Jane and Alec, who are twins. They are the epitome of the reason children should never be turned. Both of them are young, perhaps thirteen or fourteen when they were turned. They are immature, and they are vicious. Alec can block your senses. He can bring a fog on you so thick that you'll never find your way out of it in a hundred lifetimes. He can direct it, so he can put it on only certain people. It makes him extremely deadly. Jane has the power to put you in severe pain just by thinking about it. It's mental, so it's not technically real, but it feels like it is. It's the most excruciating pain in existence. That's how they broke Edward. They blinded him, and then tortured him with Jane's gift. Other than Demetri, they're the most dangerous. Demetri can track you forever once he has your scent. And by scent I mean either literal scent or mental scent. If he can look inside your mind, he's got you, and there's nothing that you can do about it. He's impossible to shake. Once he has your scent, one of you dies. In eighteen centuries, it's never been him.

"The others are a bit weaker. Felix is faster than you'd believe and almost as strong as Caius. Chelsea can change the bonds between people. She works with Marcus. Think about it. Marcus sees that Jacob is in love with Bella. Chelsea finds that bond, and twists it so that Jacob suddenly hates Bella, or is indifferent to Bella, leaving her open for attack. Renata is their shield. She never leaves Aro's side. She's his own personal bodyguard. She's what Bella is. Mental powers don't work on her. Unlike Bella, she can make people near her forget why they're there. They won't know where they are, who they are, why they came. You get distracted and lost. She uses that to keep Aro from being harmed. The rest of the Volturi are muscle. Their talents are more distasteful. Torture, rape, that sort of thing. Nothing that stands out in my mind as something that we would have to worry about.

"The thing to remember about them is that you can tell how important one is by the color of their robe. The darker the color, the higher the rank. Aro, Caius and Marcus will be in black. Alec and Jane are charcoal grey, et cetera. They wear the robes everywhere, and you will never see them without their robes." Carlisle looked around at the very serious faces of the people surrounding him. "Are there any questions?"

Sam looked around the table, his eyes touching on each member of the pack. "Are they all coming?"

"No, never. Alice has seen that eventually they will all come, but at first it will be some members of the guard, the muscle. You'll be able to pick them off on patrols. Right now, she sees it being Spring before the leaders arrive. However, her visions are not exactly predictable, and they change every time a decision is made. If Aro decides tomorrow to come here, that could still happen."

"And Edward? What does she see of him?"

Alice shook her head. "Flashes mostly. He stays too close to the pack for me to get a good view of him. Mostly I just see him pop up in Seattle, or LA, or Tacoma for a bit, then he disappears again. Right now, I can't see anything at all. Which tells me that either he isn't making decisions, or he's interacting with the wolves."

"Well, keep us updated if that changes. We need to know what he's up to."

Bella cleared her throat. "What about protecting them from Jane, and Alec, and Renata, Chelsea and Caius."

Carlisle smiled. "I've been giving that some thought, actually. I think that the key to that may be in the pack mind. You are all connected to one another when you phase. If you can hone that connection, be aware of what is going on with the others, you may be able to mitigate the effects. I understand that you can look through each other's eyes?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. That's a good way to describe it."

"Perhaps when you get lost inside the fog, you look through the eyes of another wolf. You need to get into the practice of checking with your packmates so that you're always aware of what is going on with the others. I think if you can do that, then you might stand a chance."

"And what about you? You can't share a mind like we can."

"That's true. And it will make it more problematic for us to assist you with the stronger of the Volturi. For that I propose a partnership arrangement. We assign one wolf to each of us, that way if you can look for us periodically, you could help with the issues we might run into." Carlisle took in a breath he didn't need. "This will require a lot of trust on our part. Should we lose, and any of us survive, we will be confined and tortured for the rest of our existence. We are all willing to fight for Bella, to die for her. But in order to do so effectively, we are going to need the help of the pack."

Jake and Sam shared a look, and when Sam inclined his head, Jacob spoke. "We appreciate you coming here. We'll do what needs to be done." He stood. "We'll begin training in the morning with Jasper."

Sam stood as well. "I'll work out a patrol schedule incorporating your help. I think it's preferable if Bella and the other imprints stay together as much as they can, so that will need to be a consideration."

Esme smiled. "They're welcome here as often as they like. We'd be more than happy to have this be a base of sorts. There's more than enough room, beds for wolves to sleep when needed, and I would love the opportunity to cook for all of you while this is ongoing."

The wolves looked at each other, volumes being communicated without a single word. Finally, Sam nodded again. "It makes sense. Leah, you'll stay here with them, just in case you need to call for the rest of us. It'll take you out of the patrol schedule a bit, but we'll make it work. Someone would have to be with them anyway."

Carlisle smiled. "I'm delighted." He dropped his unused napkin onto the table. "It's getting late, and I can tell you all wish to go home. I think it's been a very productive and enjoyable evening." He shook Sam's hand briskly, then Jacob's. "I'll walk you out. Thank you for joining us. I think I speak for my whole family when I tell you that we're looking forward to working with you from now on out. This will be a great partnership."

Bella sat quietly in the passenger seat as Jacob drove them back to the reservation. He looked over at her, offered a smile. "I think that went well."

"Better than I thought it would." She sighed. "It's weird, being there with them. I like it, I like them, but it's not my life anymore. It's overwhelming. They're willing to kill their own son to save my life."

"Makes me like them more, honestly." He sighed. "I know we weren't exactly willing to hear your side of the issue before. But it seems that we're willing to try now. But I need you to be honest with me, Bella. Is there any reason that we shouldn't let you and Emily, and Levi and Rachel and Sarah and Kim go down there?"

Bella shook her head. "No. They're not dangerous to humans. I swear that to you. Carlisle has never even tasted human blood, neither has Esme. Jasper has, but not in over sixty years. Alice, Rosalie and Emmett only when they were first turned, until Carlisle could get them over the bloodlust. They're vampires, so they're not harmless, but they've never done anything to make me feel unsafe. Carlisle values human life. His was stolen from him, and he cherishes it so much that he's dedicated his existence to preserving it, to extending it. There's nothing to fear from them."

"Do you feel comfortable staying there?"

"I'd feel better at Sam and Emily's, but I know it's better to stay there. More room, it's more remote, so anything will be kept from the reservation. And it'll spare more of the pack since we'll all be in the same place. With just one of you and Esme there, there's no way that Edward could get to us before they got to him."

"Bells, baby, I hate to ask, but when we get home-"

Bella interrupted him. "I'll shower, don't worry."

"The smell, it's just so bad."

"I'm sure they think the same of you." She laughed, rolled down her window to let it out. "You head straight for the shower, I'll throw our clothes in the wash, and then I'll shower too."

He reached for her hand twined their fingers. "There's something else."

"What is it?"

His muscles quivering, Jake looked at her out of the side of his eye. "You know that there're two parts of me. Man and wolf, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, I'm fine with the way things are going, and the wolf knows that it's necessary, but he, umm, well, let's just say it's hard to fight the urge to mark my territory."

Bella's eyebrows hit her hairline. "You want to pee on me?!"

The laugh burst out of him the instant her words registered. "Oh God no." he laid his hand on her thigh. "There are other ways to mark you with my scent."

Bella caught his meaning, and a pool of desire formed deep within her. She covered his hand with both of hers. "You need to bite me."

Jake nodded tensely. "I need to have you, Bells. I won't be able to settle down until I do."

Bella smiled knowingly. "Does this car go any faster?"


	15. Chapter 15

Here we go, your regularly scheduled update. 20 reviews and you get the next chapter. Enjoy and review!

Bella gathered Jacob's clothes quickly, took them to the washing machine and tossed them in, stripping naked in the hallway so that hers could join them. Dumping in detergent, she slammed the lid and grabbed a towel off the shelf, wrapping it around herself so that she could dash up the stairs to the bathroom where Jacob was in the shower, scrubbing the smell of vampire off of himself.

She slipped through the door quietly, dropped the towel and tugged the band out of her hair, dropping it on the sink. Without a word, she drew back the curtain and stepped into the shower with Jacob, immediately going under the spray.

"I figured this is the most efficient way to get the smell off." She reached for the loofa, took the body wash and squeezed a dollop of the strawberry scented soap onto the puff. Once it was lathered, she offered it to a still stunned Jacob. "You're the only one who will know when it's all gone."

Wordlessly, Jacob took the loofa and stroked it over her skin. First over her shoulders, up the slender column of her neck, down each of her arms. He washed her hands, gently rinsing each in the spray, then bringing them to his lips to kiss. She shivered despite the hot water, and her nipples hardened. He stroked the puff over her chest, between her breasts, over the soft curves of her stomach and hips. Reverently, he dropped to his knees, gently scrubbed her legs, her feet, up the backs of her thighs and over her butt. When he gripped her ass in both hands and pressed his face against her, inhaling deeply, taking in her arousal, her need, she felt herself grow even wetter, and a fire erupted in her middle, climbing slowly up her body until it radiated out of her fingertips.

Slowly, he turned her around, pressed a kiss to the curve of her ass, ran the sudsy poof up her back to her shoulders and the back of her neck. He gathered her hair in one hand, squeezed shampoo into it and rubbed gently, his fingers like fire on her scalp. Once her hair was rinsed, and the last traces of soap had run off her body, he pressed her against the wall of the shower, the contrast between the cold tile and the searing heat of Jacob pressed against her back exquisite. When she felt his water slickened erection press against her, she nearly whimpered.

He leaned down, pressed his mouth against her ear in a hot kiss. "I am going to make you scream. And when your knees give out because I've made you cum so hard, I am going to carry you into the other room and fuck the living hell out of you."

Bella groaned as he nipped her earlobe, gasped when he slid his hands around her body to cup her breasts, stroking the underside, feeling their weight in his palms. He dragged his thumbs over her nipples, his short nails scraping them lightly, making her suck in a deep breath as pleasure shot straight to her toes.

With alarming ease, Jacob flipped her around and slammed her back against the wall of the shower, ravaging her neck with his mouth, the water sluicing off their bodies. His slick skin rubbed against hers, creating delicious friction as they slid against each other. He dipped his head, took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking deeply, flicking it with her tongue and watched her head fall back, a moan forcing its way from her throat.

He stroked his hand down her body, slipped it between her thighs and palmed her, parting the folds of her body to slide one finger into her heat, pressing his thumb where he knew she needed it. Of their own volition, her hips surged against his hand, grinding, her body seeking release without the permission of her mind.

Jacob dropped to his knees, lifted one of her legs to place her foot on the side of the bathtub. Gripping her hips with his hands, he buried his face in her core, licking her with his tongue, finding her clit and sucking on it gently, flicking his tongue against the nerve bundle that was the key to her pleasure. His name was a ragged groan springing from her chest as she felt herself careen up the side of the cliff that was her orgasm.

With a smile, he stabbed his tongue inside her body, using the pad of his thumb to give her pressure, his other hand sliding up her body to stroke one nipple, causing a perfect storm of stimulation. Within seconds her body flew apart and her muscles began clenching, signaling her release. When she soared off the edge and into orgasm, his name was no longer a groan, and instead became a full scream, tearing its way from deep within her, her fingers clenching in his hair, simultaneously trying to hold him to her and push him away.

Chuckling, Jacob swept her up in his arms, stopped briefly to shut off the rapidly cooling water as he carried Bella to his bedroom. He snagged a towel, sat her on her feet and slowly dried her off, the slightly rough terry cloth sending bolts of electricity down her body as it grazed over her still sensitive nipples.

Her mind clearing, Bella leaned forward, pressed her mouth to his chest, licking off the droplets of water, running her hands over the muscled planes of his body. She let her hands drift south, over the defined muscles in his abdomen, to the narrowness of his hips, and finally to the protruding erection that was practically throbbing from desire.

When her tiny hands closed over him, Jacob's breath exited his body like he'd been punched. She ran her hands over him, forming a loose fist with one and stroking up and down, the other hand rubbing the broad head gently. When she dropped to her knees, his stomach knotted with want, and when her pink tongue darted out and touched the head of his penis, he thought his knees would give out.

Timidly, she ran her tongue down his entire length, swirling it around the tip, then emboldened by the thrust of his hips, she slid her mouth down him, taking him as far into her mouth as he would go, letting her tongue stroke up and down as she moved her head, sliding him in and out of her mouth. Experimenting, she wrapped one hand around the base, and stroked it up and down while she sucked on the head, running her tongue around him, flicking the tip.

Finally, unable to take anymore, Jacob reached down and grabbed Bella by her arms, pulling her to her feet. He propelled her toward the bed, the animal inside him demanding its mate. "I have to have you. Now."

Bella felt a dark thrill deep within her from the urgency in his voice. "Take me then."

"I don't think you understand. I need you hard and fast, and probably a little rough. I can't be gentle with you right now."

Going on instinct, Bella slid onto the bed, gripped the headboard in her hands, leaning over so her body was at an angle. Looking over her shoulder, a combination of want, vulnerability and fear in her eyes. "I know. I want you to take me. Hard and fast and however you need to."

With two steps, Jacob was on the bed behind her, on his knees, her hips in his hands, drawing her back against him. He stooped down, parted her legs, and ran his finger over her. Finding her hot and wet, he leaned over her, dwarfing his body with her own, folding his fingers over hers on the headboard, and stroked into her, entering her fully with one thrust.

Bella groaned as he filled her, spearing up inside her deeper than she'd ever imagined possible. He drew back, slammed into her again, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her. When he nudged her forward onto her hands and knees, she went willingly. He gripped her hips in his hands, plunged into her again and again, hard and fast, his thick length stretching her to her limits. She pressed her face into the sheet, her muscles spasaming around him as he forced her up the crest of climax again. She was a hot, wet fist around him, and every time her muscles contracted, his dick jumped in response.

Jacob drove himself into her until she shattered, screaming from orgasm, her body seizing around him. Even then, he didn't stop, but kept stroking into her, never letting her come down, not even when she screamed and begged him to stop, the force of her orgasm leaving her body hyper sensitive.

But before her pleas to stop registered, they had changed into her begging him to keep going, to push deeper, stroke faster, fuck harder. He wasn't sure she knew what was spilling from her mouth, only knew that the wolf within him was desperate to mark her as his, and the man wanted to bring to her as much pleasure as possible.

He felt her muscles contract and quiver, signaling that she was yet again on the edge. He grabbed her hips tighter, drew back, slammed into her fully once, twice, and on the third time, she erupted. Wetness hit his penis as she came, and her head was thrown back, a primitive yell tearing from her throat. Somehow, she knew, and turned her head, baring her neck for him. With a shout, his own orgasm threatening to sweep him away, Jake leaned over her, clamping his teeth on the tendon where her shoulder and neck connected. He felt her skin give, tasted the tangy sweetness of her blood, and his own body exploded, spilling itself inside her, every muscle quivering with the force of his release.

"Did I hurt you?"

Bella looked over at Jake, his eyes clouded with concern, and smiled, touching the bruise on her neck from where he'd bitten her. "I'm fine."

"That's not an answer." He moved her fingers, inspected the purpling bruise. "I'm so sorry, honey. I won't let it happen again."

Bella laughed, draped herself over his chest. "No apology necessary." She kissed his chin. "I let you do it. I told you to. Hell, I enjoyed it."

"You enjoyed me rutting over you like a wild animal?"

Her laugh music to his ears, she nodded. "Kinda, yeah. It was hot, and intense, and it felt like you couldn't decide if you wanted to worship me or gobble me up, so you did both." She twined her fingers through his. "I'm not fragile, Jake. I can handle you. I know you'll never hurt me. And it was really good sex." Suddenly, she sat up, her hand flying to her mouth. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Concerned, Jake sat up too. "What's wrong?"

"We're fucked is what's wrong! Jake, I'm not on the fucking pill!" she tugged at her hair. "The stupid fucking things are in my bag downstairs. I haven't taken it since the night you found me in my car. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I cannot believe I forgot it!"

His mouth quirking in what threatened to be a smile, Jake, tugged her into his arms. "It's okay. I'll go out tomorrow and get a box of condoms. When is your period due?"

Bella scoffed. "Missing pills will throw it off. I was just in the first week, so within the next three weeks. But with missing, I might skip, or I might start tomorrow." She leaned her head into his chest to muffle her frustrated scream. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I'm this stupid."

Jacob sighed. "Hey now, I didn't exactly wrap it up. Truth be told I was so desperate to get in you that it never even crossed my mind, and it should have. I always use a condom."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Because you're my imprint, and the damn wolf is practically purring at the thought of knocking you up. I know it's bad timing, and too soon, and all sorts of reasons that it shouldn't happen, but the wolf has spoken, and he likes the idea."

"Bad doggie." She looked at him sternly. "I do not want to be pregnant."

Jake looked at her, seriously that time. "Now or ever?"

"Now. In a few years, sure, great, babies for everyone. But not now. Not with Edward and the Volturi and everything that is going on. It's not great timing, and I don't want the worry."

"Bells, it'll be okay. If you are you are, and if you're not, we'll try to prevent you from being. If it happens, we'll make it work. It's not like you need to fight."

"It would distract you! It would distract the pack and the Cullens! They'd all be so preoccupied with a clump of cells that it might get you killed!" she flopped backward on the bed. "You're not allowed to touch me until you have a condom."

Laughing, Jake stretched out next to her. Wanting to lighten the mood, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, ya know, the damage is already done tonight…" he trailed off, reaching out to touch one of her breasts.

She swatted his hand, yanked up the blanket. "Buck up, Romeo. You're cut off."

Jake was laughing as he wrapped her up in his arms. But deep down, in some place he didn't even want to admit existed, the primal part of him was leaping from joy at the prospect of Bella growing large with his child.


	16. Chapter 16

Here is your regularly scheduled update. Enjoy it! In the next chapter, we meet Edward. It is dark and horrible and the next three or four chapters will make you scream and make you cry. For just this chapter, 15 reviews and the next goes up. I hope I get them. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

Alice looked at Bella's neck in horror. "He **marked **you? That's barbaric!"

Emily giggled from where she sat on the couch. "Actually it's pretty damn hot. I remember when Sam did that to me. It was incredible."

Bella blushed bright red. "It's his way of letting any competition know that I'm taken. It's a wolf thing. And it doesn't hurt. Didn't hurt during either." She sighed at the memory. "It was actually pretty erotic, if you want the truth."

"It sounds barbaric to me." Alice sniffed daintily. "I guess I don't get the appeal of having sex with a shaggy dog. Of all the things, Bella. I never anticipated you would be into bestiality."

Bella laughed. "I don't have sex with the wolf, Alice. I have sex with Jacob, and it's incredible. I never imagined that I would feel this way. It's like he knows exactly what to do at exactly the right time."

Leah walked into the room then. "Can we skip the sex talk, please? I haven't gotten any in months, and I don't need to hear about it from the three of you." She picked up an apple, bit into it. "Have you given any thought to what you're wearing for the binding ceremony, Bella?"

Before Bella could answer, Alice interrupted. "Binding ceremony? What's that?"

Leah grinned. "It's a wedding. Tribal, of course, and not legal, but since Jake imprinted on Bella, she has to accept it in front of the Elders. There's a ceremony, some dancing, and incense burning, and singing. They retell the legends, and bless the union. Then Bella and Jake choose their spirit guides, which is a couple older from the tribe to be their marriage counselors basically, and then we all eat and celebrate. And since Jake's Dad is gone, he'll be expected to take Billy's seat on the Council, and his place as the Chief of the tribe. Sam, Quil and Seth will also take their seats on the Council. Old Quil will stay on as the Shaaman, and my mom will keep hers. I'll get it when she retires or dies. It'll be a big night."

Alice's eyes lit up. "We need to get you a dress, Bella. And Jake will need a tuxedo, of course."

Emily smiled gently. "It's not nearly so formal, Alice. It's on Third Beach, and there will be a bonfire. It's very ceremonial. They'll both be barefoot, and it's very personal and touching."

Alice considered that for a moment. "I can work with that." She blurred to the other room, reappeared with a laptop. "Will you let me help, Bella?"

Bella looked torn. "Alice, I don't know if they'll let you on the beach to be there. Not with the Elders there."

Alice pouted. "But we're your family too!"

Esme cleared her throat from the kitchen. "Alice, honey, don't make Bella feel guilty. We can do something to celebrate here with Bella and her Jacob afterward. The last thing we want is to make it more difficult on the pack with their Elders. This would be like us inviting the pack to something in Volterra. It's just not a good idea."

Bella looked at Alice longingly. "You can help me pick my dress if you want. And Emily needs one too. We've asked her and Sam to be our guides. And I'll talk to Jake to see if there's something we can work out. I can't make any promises, but I'll ask."

"Ask Jake what?" Jacob came through the door, still pulling on a shirt, leaves in his hair from being phased most of the day. He bent to kiss Bella, then went directly to the platters of food on the island. "Esme, this smells amazing. I could smell it a half mile away."

"Ask Jake if we can come to your binding ceremony." Alice spoke up when Bella didn't immediately volunteer the information. Jacob took a bite of a sandwich, his brows drawing together.

"We aren't telling the elders what we're doing. Sue would be okay with it, that's Leah and Seth's mom. Sam would be okay with it. Old Quil likely would see the bigger picture. But the other two would be completely opposed to it." He sighed. "Quil, Seth and I are taking our seats that night. That will make us nine, and we'd have at least six votes, so a clear majority." He looked at Bella. "They're the only family you have left, baby. It wouldn't be right to ask you to exclude them."

As Alice squealed and rushed to her computer to comb the internet for dresses, Bella looked at Jake through suspicious eyes. "You have no idea what you've just created."

The week ended rather uneventfully. No sign of Edward was found on patrol, and because all of their families would be together, Sam excused everyone from patrol for the hours encompassing the binding ceremony.

Bella wore a hunter green cotton dress that tied around her neck in thin straps and swirled around her legs in a delicate skirt. Esme had given her a beautiful ivory shawl to drape around her shoulders to guard her from the chilly wind. Jake wore khakis, rolled up to the ankle to battle the sand, and a white button down, left open over a wife beater. Both were barefoot.

Sue was to perform the ceremony, which took place after Old Quil again told the story of their heritage, of Taha Aki and the Third Wife, of her sacrifice to save the tribe from the Cold Woman, and how they had come to have the treaty.

Esme and Carlisle were dressed casually, Esme in a blue dress with a black shawl, and Carlisle in tan slacks and a blue sweater. She leaned her head on his chest, her eyes alight with glee at seeing Bella in her dress, her hands in Jacob's, the fire casting a warm glow on them both. Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett stood next to them, Alice practically giddy with delight at being able to be there.

Sam and Emily stood on either side of Bella and Jacob, Emily gorgeous in a plum sweater dress, and Sam looking handsome and casual in jeans and a black polo. The rest of the pack had filled in around the fire, standing near the Cullens to give the impression of solidarity to the Elders who were opposed to their inclusion.

"Tonight is an important night for our tribe." Sue's voice rose, clear and confident. "We have come together to honor an imprinting, a way in which our Protectors find their one, true mates. We have also gathered to welcome new members to the Council of Elders. Jacob Black, Quil Ateara, Seth Clearwater, do you accept your positions on this Council?"

Jacob nodded. "We have spoken, and we agree to take on the duties of the Council."

"And do you accept your rightful role as Chief of the Quileute tribe?"

"I do."

Sue took necklaces from the table, draped them around the necks of the three men, saying a prayer over each, waving incense around them all. "You are all doing your ancestors proud." She picked up a length of rope. "Now, for the binding ceremony. In our culture, a wolf cannot do his duty until he is mated. Before then, he is young, impulsive, and hard to control. The imprint is meant to anchor a protector, to make him calm, to give him a reason to live. Bella Swan has been chosen by the true Alpha of the La Push pack, Jacob Black, as his imprint.

"Before the ceremony, we will have a prayer over the couple, and traditional songs celebrating their joining." She picked up a circlet of flowers, placed it on Bella's head. "To us, there is no greater honor than being the imprint of one of the Protectors."

Old Quil, in his loin cloth and ceremonial headdress, lit a clump of sage on fire, his melodic voice rising as he chanted the blessing. He danced around the fire, amazingly spry for a man in his eighties, singing in the native language. He threw herbs on the fire, and it changed from orange to blue, then to red and purple, colored smoke rising off the flames. The smoke formed into a wolf, and then into a woman.

"When Taha Aki discovered his spirit animal, the Gods came to him and told him that he would find a mate. One woman, in all the world, that would be his complement in every aspect. He searched for her, long and hard, guarding his people fiercely from the Cold Ones as he searched. He fell in love, and married, lived a lifetime, fathered children. When his children's children were buried, he married again, loved again, fathered more children. And again, when those children's children were gone, he searched yet again. Finally, he found the one that made his heart sing. She called to him, made everything seem brighter, gave him focus and clarity, and a calm that he had never before felt. Their love was intense, a brightly burning flame. He knew the very moment that he laid his eyes on her that she was the one that had been made for him.

"They married, they loved, they had a family. And then, the tribe found itself under attack, from a Cold Woman, who sought to destroy us. The imprint, the Third Wife, so loved her husband and her people that she went into the forest, with only a knife. She cut herself, let her blood spill onto the dirt, knowing it would draw her death. The Cold Woman attacked, drank her blood, draining her body of life and blood. It allowed the Protectors to destroy the Cold Woman, but not before she killed the Third Wife. Taha Aki was so devastated that he gave up his spirit animal and grew to be an old man.

"Because of her sacrifice, because of their love, all of our protectors have their one true mate. Some find her in this life, others in the next. Jacob Black, the Chief of the tribe, has found his in this life. Samuel Uley, have you seen through his eyes and verified that it is a true imprint?"

Sam stepped forward. "I have. It is a true imprint."

"Bella Swan, by being here today, you are swearing that you understand the depth of the imprint, that you understand what it means, and that you are here of your own free will to accept the love and devotion of Jacob. Do you understand what this means to you?"

Bella nodded. "I understand."

"And it is your wish to be bound to Jacob for all of eternity, as his wife, his companion, his mate, his life force?"

"It is."

Sue took the rope, wrapped it around Bella and Jake's wrists, binding them together. "It is imperative that an imprinted couple has someone to which they can go in the case of strife or conflict. A couple that agrees to guide them, to teach them, to love them as family, to treat them as brother and sister. This couple is charged with helping Bella and Jacob to maintain the health of their union. They will be godparents to any children, and in the case of the death of either Bella or Jacob, this couple takes on the responsibility of caring for the survivor. Jacob, have you and Bella chosen your spirit guides?"

"We have chosen Sam Uley and Emily Young."

Sue turned to Sam and Emily. "Samuel Uley, do you and your imprint understand the responsibilities given to you as the spirit guide for Bella and Jacob? Do you agree to take on those responsibilities, and to counsel and guide Bella and Jacob should they need it?"

Sam nodded. "We understand the responsibilities, and accept them. It is our honor to be the spirit guides for Jake and Bella."

Sue took the rope and used the ends to bind Emily and Sam's hands to Jacob and Bella's. Then, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two bands, both made out of a dark cherry wood, carved with symbols. She looked to Jacob with tears in her eyes.

"When your mother died, your father gave these to me because they hurt him too much to look at. He wanted you to have them when you married." She slipped one band on Bella's hand, the other on Jacob's. "I know you'll want a wedding later, but I know Billy, and he would have wanted you to have them now." She leaned forward pressed a kiss to Jacob's forehead, then to Bella's. "Bella, Charlie wanted nothing more than for you to be happy. And if it was with Jake, all the better. Billy and Charlie would sit around like two old hens and talk about the two of you, and the grandbabies they hoped you'd give them. They would be so happy, so very proud of you today. I'm sure they're looking down, and that they're thrilled about this." She brushed tears off her own cheeks. "I know we all wish they were here to see it."

Sue stepped back, lifted her arms to the inky black sky and tossed her head back. Old Quil threw more herbs into the fire, chanting a blessing. The smoke came up again, and the wolf and woman were back, only this time the woman grew round with pregnancy and the wolf turned into a man. A child appeared, grew, and then another. The smoke swirled, and a woman appeared, icy blue. The wolf attacked her, was injured, and then the woman came back, knife in hand. They watched the Third Wife drive the knife into herself, distracting the vampire. When they were both dead, they watched the wolf grieve, change into an old man, and die.

"Your souls are inextricably bound together. By accepting the imprint, you agree to be a lover, wife, mate, mother. Jacob, your wolf has chosen its counterpart. You will be a protector, husband, father, lover. Sam and Emily, you have accepted the responsibility to guide Bella and Jacob, to help them navigate these waters, to be there should one die. You have sworn these vows in front of your families and your tribe. Bella, you are now a member of the Quileute. You will have all of the privileges extended to natural born members of the tribe. I've bound you together with the sacred rope that was used to bind Taha Aki to the Third Wife. In the eyes of our people, you are married." She smiled. "Let us celebrate!"

They had danced, and eaten, and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. Slowly, people had begun to trickle home, taking kids to bed and leaving to patrol. Finally, when almost everything had been cleaned up, Carlisle and Esme approached Jake and Bella, Esme holding out her hands, embracing one and then the other.

"We're so happy for you, Bella. We only ever wanted to see you be happy." She sniffed, and Bella knew if she could cry, she would have been. "We will miss you as part of our family, but I can see how happy your wolf makes you." She took Jake's hands in hers. "I know you're still working on things, but I need for you to know that we love Bella, and we only ever wanted to do what she wanted. We're very happy to see her stay human and live her life with you. I can only hope you'll allow us to still see her once this is all done."

"That will be up to Bella. I won't ever stop her from seeing you." He slipped an arm around Bella's waist. "Things are changing, I think we all know that. I never dreamed we'd work together, but it seems that the one thing we can all agree on is that we need to protect Bella." He looked down at Bella, then to the vampire couple. "I am glad that you were able to come. It was important to Bells, and I think important to the rest of us. For the foreseeable future, we're going to be working together, so we have to get along."

"We want to give the two of you a gift." Carlisle smiled. "Please don't say no. We want to do this. Bella is like another daughter to us. So if you would allow it, we'd like to pay for your real wedding, whenever that may be. However simple or elaborate the two of you decide to make it, it would be our honor to put it on for you."

Bella blinked back tears. "Carlisle, that's too much."

"No, it's not nearly enough. You brought joy to my family, Bella. You made us feel closer to human than we have in decades, centuries for me. We were able to experience life through you. In all the ways that matter, you're our family."

Bella slid out from under Jake's arm, wrapped hers around Carlisle, surprising him with the hug. Very gently, he patted her back, kissed her temple gently. "We'd love that. Thank you."

Esme laid her hand on Jake's arm. "Thank you for putting up with everything. We know it's not easy for you."

"And I know it's not easy for you, either." He sighed, finding himself liking the vampires against every fiber of his nature. "It would seem that we're both capable of being more than our ancestors were."

Carlisle released Bella, took a step back. "That's enough for tonight. I understand you're taking Bella to Seattle for the weekend." He reached into his pocket, withdrew an envelope. "It's already done, and nonrefundable, so enjoy it."

Esme smiled. "The hotel is wonderful, and I've chosen a couple plays that I think you'll both like. For you Jake, there're tickets to the Seahawks game Sunday afternoon, and we've arranged reservations at some really incredible restaurants."

Jacob looked at the envelope, then back up to Carlisle. "I can't let you do that."

"Son, I have money to spend, and I like to spend it on my family. Like it or not, by imprinting on Bella, you're a part of that."

There was an edge to Carlisle's voice that Jacob had never heard before, and he realized then how much the Cullens really did care about Bella. A multitude of emotions passed through him, and he looked at the eldest vampire, saying volumes without uttering a word. Finally, he nodded, took the envelope.

"Okay."


	17. Chapter 17

Okay, you did it! Early chapter! Great! So, here's my WARNING! PLEASE READ BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER! This chapter is extremely violent and graphic. It is NOT a feel good chapter. You will be horrified, you will be shocked and you will need a shower after reading. I know I felt that way after writing it. The next chapter is a companion to this in that it occurs during the same time from different perspective. I hope the feedback from this is constructive. Please do NOT read this if you have issues with graphic assault. You've been warned.

Bella was yanked from sleep when Jake shook her violently. Groggy, she sat up, blinking. When he tossed her clothes, she looked at them as if she'd never seen them before, trying to process why it was that he was waking her up in the middle of the night.

"What's going on?"

"I need to get you to Sam's. Someone set the reservation school on fire, two of the churches, and the grocery store. Paul, Seth and Jasper were on patrol, they scented Edward about two hours ago, followed him back up to the reservation. They came on three thralled humans lighting the fires. The whole pack is mobilizing. Alice is coming up from Forks to stay with you and Emily and Levi. Jared went to get Rachel and Sue from their house where Seth was with them, and he's bringing them and Kim to Sam's too. You're going to stay there."

Bella pulled on the sweatpants, slid her feet into tennis shoes. "Let's go." She grabbed her coat on the way out the door, didn't object when Jake merely picked her up and ran with her through the woods to Emily's house. He sat her on the porch, kissed her once.

"Stay here and don't leave. Alice will be here in fifteen minutes, Jared in twenty." He hesitated. "I don't want to leave you alone, but-"

"Go. Alice is on her way. We'll be fine." She offered a smile, opened the door, and watched him phase and take off.

Emily was holding Levi, still wearing her pajamas. She looked nervous, her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Sam left ten minutes ago to go hunting him. He said Alice is coming up?"

"Yeah, she'll be here in fifteen minutes. Jake said something about Edward being on the reservation?"

"Sam didn't tell me much, but it sounded like he's leading them on a wild goose chase, running his scent back over itself, going up in the trees to get away from them, jumping in the ocean. It's a mess, and it's going to take them all to sort it out."

Bella's eyes widened, and she reached out, grabbing Emily's arm and yanking the older woman behind her. Emily screamed when she turned and saw what was behind her. Standing in the entryway, looking handsome and perfect as always, a slightly insane look in his eyes, was Edward Cullen.

"Isabella, darling. How nice to see you. Emily, a pleasure as always."

Bella spread her arms out. "Let them go. Take me. Let Emily and Levi go. It's me that you want." Her voice shook as she took in his blood red eyes. "Please, Edward, don't hurt them. They have nothing to do with this."

"But they do. Emily has been helping the dogs keep you away from me."

"Levi is a baby. He needs his mother. I'll go with you, I'll do whatever you want. Just please let them go."

Edward looked sad for a fleeting moment. "I wish I could do that." He blurred across the room, snatched Levi from Emily's arms, the older woman screaming and fighting with everything she had. Edward cast her aside with a casual flick of his wrist, sending her into the countertop. She hit with a sickening thud, and collapsed, unconscious. "I won't hurt them, Isabella, but I need to ensure that you do as I say." He bent, picked Emily up and tossed her over his shoulder. "So unless you want me to find out what toddler tastes like, you'll come with me."

Bella nodded. "Let me hold him at least. He knows me, he won't be scared."

Edward considered that, then nodded and handed the baby to Bella, who wrapped him inside her coat to keep him warm as they exited the house. He led her through the woods, out to a back road, where he'd parked a car. Bella got in without fuss, wincing when he merely tossed Emily in the back.

"How did you get past the pack?"

"They're still having problems telling my scent from that of my family. My humans dressed in my clothing and laid a scent trail all over Forks and La Push. When they started the fires, it got the attention of the wolves on patrol and Jasper. I used that time to sneak up here, coming in through the preserve. The smoke masks my scent some, and so does the scent of the humans. I started with eight, and I'm down to two now. They've found most. It took me weeks to develop this plan and get the humans." He pulled out onto the main road between Forks and La Push.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Someplace safe to do what I need to do. Emily and Levi will make good meals for you when you wake up."

They drove for more than two hours, through back roads and across the 101. Bella had no idea where they were. Finally, he pulled down a dirt road, to a cabin in the middle of the woods. He pulled the car into the garage, carried Emily inside, tied her to the heavy wooden kitchen table. He dragged a box from another room, took Levi from her and dropped him into it.

"Sit down, Isabella. We have a lot to discuss."

Bella sat on the threadbare couch, wringing her hands together nervously. "Edward, please let them go."

"I can't do that. You'll need to eat once you're changed." He sat next to her, ran his stone cold finger down her cheek. "I've dreamed of this for so long. You so wanted to be changed, and I made a horrible mistake telling you no. I won't make that mistake again. I'm going to make you mine for all of eternity." He looked at her hands, at the wooden band on her finger. "I was in the ocean the night you bound yourself to the mutt. I saw my treacherous family cheering you on. You could have been my mate. And you chose to let a dog mark you?" he yanked her hair back from her neck, revealed the almost completely faded bruise on her neck.

"Edward, you and I broke up. I was going through a rough time. I made mistakes. I know that now. I'll go with you wherever you want me to go. We'll leave right now. And when we're safe, then you can turn me. I'll let you. I'll spend eternity with you." She looked at Emily, who had come awake, and was staring at the scene with a look of horror on her face. "Just please let Emily and Levi go."

Edward ran his hand down Bella's cheek. "Darling, how about a compromise? If, after you've turned, you still want to let them go, then you may decide to do so." He leaned over, nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. "I can still smell your essence through the mark of the dog." He pressed a kiss to her skin, his fingers sliding over her skin, down her chest to cover her breast. Bella froze, tears streaking down her face. Emily had paled, scrambled to sit up. Levi, thankfully, was sleeping soundly in the box next to her. "Do you remember, darling, when you would beg me to touch you? How you would ask me to fuck you?"

"You were right, Edward. It's too dangerous before I'm a vampire. What if you lose control? Or drink all my blood?"

"You're right, of course. But you so wanted to be intimate with me before you were turned." He stood, dragged Bella to her feet and yanked her to the table, tying her to the other side. "I'm going to go feed, darling, and when I come back, I'll make you soar."

Bella waited until Edward had been gone for five whole minutes. "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded. "He's going to kill us, isn't he?"

"They'll find us. We just have to distract him until they can track the scent." She leaned her head against the table leg, fear a tangible taste in her mouth. "Emily, I need you to do something for me."

Emily laughed hysterically. "I'm tied to a table! What the hell can I do?"

"When Edward comes back, he is going to rape me. I can see it in his eyes. He's serious about making me his. He's probably going to bite me." She closed her eyes against tears. "I'm not making it out of here, but you and Levi still can. They'll find us before I wake up. I need you to promise me that you'll take care of Jake afterward. Edward, he isn't in control. He won't be able to control it. He's going to kill me, Emily. I need you to do that for me." She choked back sobs. "Can you do that?"

In tears herself, Emily nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. But it won't come to that. They'll find us in time. They have to." She gasped through her tears. "I'm scared, Bella. I don't want my baby to die!"

Bella shook her head. "He won't. You won't. I'm going to make sure of it. I'll do everything I can to get you out of here. I'm so sorry, Emily. I'm so, so, so sorry that you're in this. I never wanted this to affect anyone else."

"It's not your fault. It's Edward's fault." Emily sniffed back her tears, took a minute to compose herself. "Sam and Jake and the rest of the boys, they will find us. No one is going to die. We just have to stay calm and stay alive."

It was forty minutes before Edward came back, his eyes even redder than when he'd left, and blood still on his chin. He tossed a bag to Emily, a can of formula and a bottle spilling out. "Can't have him starving to death before Bella wakes up." He handed her a bottle of water. "You'll keep him quiet if you know what's best for him."

Bella couldn't help the whimper when Edward dragged her to her feet. He gripped her elbows, pressed his mouth to hers in a chaste kiss, his lips cold and hard. "Edward, please."

Mistaking her plea for him to stop as one for him to keep going, Edward forced his tongue into her mouth, his hand going to her breast, squeezing it painfully. Bella tried to keep from gagging. He pushed her into the other room, lifted her and lowered her to the floor. Every bit of Bella was urging her to fight, to run, to do anything to keep him from violating her.

But she concentrated on staying still, on not moving, not screaming. She let him kiss her, let him fondle her. When he tore her shirt off of her, exposing her body to his hungry gaze, she closed her eyes and turned her head. Every time she felt bile rise in her throat, she remembered Emily and Levi, and that the only way they kept breathing was if she kept Edward distracted.

When he tore her pants from her body, she couldn't stop the silent tears that slid down her face. He grabbed her chin, forced her to kiss him, his marble fingers bruising her delicate skin. Emily closed her eyes against the horrors unfolding in front of her, her stomach knotting with terror and revulsion.

Edward trailed kisses down her body, nuzzling her skin with his icy nose, taking her breast into his mouth. Bella bit down on her lip to keep from crying out from pain and fear, nausea rising in her throat. She dug her fingers into the carpet to keep from striking him. But when he touched that place between her legs, the place that she had only ever shared with Jacob, she couldn't help it. She thrashed, kicked, screamed with everything she had.

Edward's eyes flashed with anger, and he held her down, his hand crushing her windpipe. She choked for breath, tears pooling in her eyes, streaming down her face, dripping onto Edward's arm. He lifted up, fumbled at his belt with one hand, shoved his pants down his hips. He grabbed her hip in his hand, bruising her, and without any preparation, without even a thought, he entered her roughly.

Bella screamed from pain as her skin ripped and her body rebelled. Blood gushed from between her legs, but not even that deterred Edward from his goal. He thrust into her, wild and hard, making her scream with every movement. He crushed his mouth to hers, splitting her lip, and her blood pooled in his mouth, which he drank hungrily. The combination of her blood, and her body, wet with blood, sent him spiraling over the edge, and he orgasmed, spilling himself inside her, leaving her thighs sticky with a combination of blood and semen.

Edward stood, tucked himself back into his pants, and dragged Bella back to the table by one arm, tying her up, leaving her bruised, bleeding, and naked. He got halfway across the room, then dropped to his knees, shaking and violently seizing. He threw back his head and screamed, roaring his pain and hurt.

"Bella, oh God, what have I done?" he rushed to her, his hands running over her skin. "I'm sorry, Bella, God I'm so sorry." He untied the ropes, did the same to Emily. "Run. Run away from here, fast. I don't know how long I can control it, how long I can keep what they made me into from taking back over. Take the car, and go."

Before Bella could move, before she could even think of moving, the door to the cabin flew open and three wolves and two vampires charged in.


	18. Chapter 18

You got a chapter early! Yay you! Thank you all for the reviews on the last. I was nervous about the content, but I think it was necessary to push the plot forward. This chapter will make you cry. I cried while I wrote it. There are some glimmers of goodness in the next chapter, so keep with me! 20 and the next goes up today.

Alice smelled Edward the second she got out of her car in Sam's driveway. Panic rising in her throat, she rushed into the house, found the front door open, and no sign of Bella, Emily, or Levi. She rushed from the house, followed her nose through the woods to the dirt road, found tire tracks from a car. She sniffed deeply, determined that the scent ended there, and pulled out her phone.

Foot tapping impatiently, she waited the three rings before Carlisle picked up. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"Who are you with?"

"I'm at the school with Esme and Sam."

"Edward got to the house before I did. He's taken Bella, Emily and the baby. I tracked his scent to a back road, but I lost it. He must have gotten in the car. I can't see him yet."

"Oh my God. Was there blood, any sign that he hurt either of them?"

"A tiny bit on the counter. Nothing to tell me they're hurt badly."

"Get back to the house, try to get your sight on Edward. We need to know where he is." Carlisle hung up, turned to look at Sam, who was in his human form and talking with a firefighter, making sure no one had been hurt. "Sam, you need to come with me now. Esme, stay here, call Jasper, and have him come meet us with Jacob."

Sam followed Carlisle. "What's going on?"

"Alice just got to your house. Edward has been there. He's taken Emily, Levi and Bella." He jumped back when Sam phased, his human form exploding into a wolf. "Sam, listen to me. Alice is looking for him. We need to stay together so that when she calls me with their location, I can relay that information to you. I know where he parked his car, Alice told me. I'll take you there."

The giant black wolf let out a howl, and took off through the woods, following the blur that was Carlisle Cullen.

_ "Sam? What's going on?" _

_ "Seth, get Leah and get back to La Push. Make sure everyone is okay. Edward got to Bella and Emily. He's taken my wife and child." _Sam growled menacingly, his teeth gnashing. _"Jake, man, you here?"_

_ "I'm here. I'm on my way to meet you with Jasper. Embry is with me. Everyone else is to head back to the reservation and help with the fires and to protect the rest of our families. Get Sue to Sam's. They may need medical attention when we get back."_

_ "Dude, we want to come with you. Send Collin and Brady to guard everyone."_

_ "No, Quil. It will take more than two to guard the whole reservation. The three of us can handle one vampire."_

Alice paced her room, forehead wrinkled in concentration as she tried to see her brother. She smashed a lamp against the wall when she didn't see him, then stopped. Screeching from frustration, she looked for Bella. What she saw made her pale even more than she already was. She grabbed the phone, dialed Jasper.

"Darling, we're in hot pursuit of our wayward sibling. Please tell me you have information on where he might be."

"It's a cabin. All one room. Bella can hear the river. They were in the car for about two hours. They're tied to chairs. Edward has gone to hunt so that he won't kill Bella when he tries to transform her. There's a garage attached, and it's run down, dreary. Jasper, Edward intends to rape her. She's decided to let him do whatever he wants to her in the hopes that he'll let Emily and Levi go."

Jasper was silent for a moment, and then when he spoke, his voice was steely. "It is no brother of mine that lays his hands on an unwilling woman." He snapped the phone closed, held out his hand to stop the wolves. They phased to human form, looked to him anxiously. "Alice has seen Bella. She and Emily and Levi are alive and they are safe enough for this minute. They drove for about two hours, ended up at a cabin. Dingy, rundown, one room, next to a river. There's a garage attached."

Jake swore. "Goddamn that bastard. He took them to Dad's fishing shack."

Within five seconds, they were tearing through the woods, five people on a mission to save Bella and Emily before Edward could hurt them. They leaped over trees, crossed roads, then drew to a stop on the bank of the river, assessing the situation. When a scream ripped through the air, they moved, rushing the house. Sam slammed into the door, bursting through it, Jacob crashing through the wall next to him, Embry right behind them.

The scene that they burst in on was one that none of them would ever forget. Bella was curled in a corner, naked and bruised, a puddle of blood beneath her, her mouth busted open. Emily was holding Levi in one arm, the other one wrapped protectively around Bella. Edward was in the middle of the room, screaming, his eyes blood red.

"Do it! Damn you, Jacob, kill me before I do something else!" he charged the russet wolf, dropped to his knees. "If you love her, you'll kill me now! I can't control it for long! The things I did, they're unforgivable. I fought and I fought. I love her. And I hurt her." He sobbed the words, dropped his head into his hands. "Do it, Jacob!"

Jake felt rage rise up in him as he looked at Bella, and back to the monster that had done unspeakable things to her. He looked at Emily, who pulled Bella's face into her shoulder, shielding her from watching what was happening. Carlisle stepped forward, his eyes full of sympathy and rage.

"Edward, what have you done?"

"If he won't kill me, you do it, Carlisle. I raped her! I forced myself on her! I hurt her! I don't deserve to live!"

Emily's voice was weak. "Sam, do it. Don't make Jake. It's going to be hard enough for them to work through this."

The giant black wolf phased into a man, stooped to pull on the shorts that had been strapped to his leg. He stepped forward, past Jake's wolf, past Jasper and Carlisle, who were both staunchly quiet. He placed his hands on Edward's head, and with a roar, ripped it off. The body collapsed to the ground, and the eyes went instantly blank, fading back to the bright green they'd once been in life. Bella promptly threw up.

"I need to examine her."

Jacob looked up from where he was helping Emily wrap Bella in a blanket. Carlisle was standing at the door to the cabin, his face concerned. "Can it wait until we get her home?"

"I'd rather not. It's a two hour trip by car, and she's in no state to ride one of you. I'd like to see what's done before we move her."

"Bells, baby, look at me."

Bella turned her head, her eyes alarmingly blank. Jacob tucked her hair behind her ears, framed her face in his big hands. Emily stroked her hair gently, murmuring words of comfort to the other woman.

"Can you let Carlisle look at you?"

She nodded slightly. "I don't want you to see." Her voice cracked, tears came flooding out of her eyes. "Please don't look, Jake. I don't want you to see."

Sam cleared his throat. "Come out here with me, Jake. We'll finish burning the body."

Reluctantly, Jake stood, followed Sam out of the house. "I'll be right outside the door if she needs me."

Carlisle knelt next to Bella, his hands cool and gentle on her. He nudged her thighs apart, inspected the damage done clinically. When he was done, he ran his hands over her arms and legs, checking for broken bones, then over her ribs and up her throat. Finally, he stood and rinsed the blood from his hands.

"Bella, some of those tears need stitches. You have a couple fractured ribs, and your windpipe is bruised. I think you also have a concussion. I need to get you back to our house. I have medical supplies there that I can use to treat you. If you're uncomfortable with me, I can let Jake take you to the hospital."

"No hospital."

Emily looked at Carlisle. "I want to stay with her. She did this to protect me. I don't want to leave her."

"There's more than enough room for anyone at our home." He stepped outside, looked at Jake and Sam. "Her condition is not good. I need to suture some tears. She's very seriously damaged vaginally. There's been a lot of blood loss, and she has two fractured ribs and a bruised windpipe as well. She needs fluids, rest, and pain medication. I need to get her to my house as soon as possible. We can use Edward's car to get her there."

Sam turned to Embry, handed him Levi. "Take Levi to Sue. She'll watch him. Tell everyone else that they're alive and that Emily is okay. Put the pups and Rosalie and Emmett on patrol and get everyone else back to their houses. I know Seth and Leah and Quil are going to want to come down, so tell Jared to work out everything else."

"On it." Embry took the baby, snuggled him close, and took off through the woods.

"Jake, you go with Emily and Bella in the car. I'll meet you there." He ran a hand through his hair. "She'll be okay, man."

Jacob nodded, his face drawn with tension and fear. He entered the house, reappeared several seconds later with Bella in his arms, her face bloody and bruised, wrapped in a blanket. Emily followed them out, rubbing her raw wrists, but otherwise unharmed. Sam hugged his wife, kissed her warmly, and helped her into the front seat as Jacob settled into the back with Bella in his lap.

The drive back to the Cullen manor was unbearable. Bella alternated between staring glassily out the window and crying silently. Finally, they pulled into the driveway of the big glass house and Jake unloaded Bella, following Carlisle inside, taking her up the stairs and to a room that had been outfitted with medical equipment and an exam table. He deposited her on it gently, held her bloody, battered hand in his.

Carlisle washed his hands in the sink, pulled on gloves. "Bella, I'm going to give you a shot of lidocaine to numb the area that I need to stitch. I'm going to get you cleaned up, and we'll give you some pain medication to help you sleep."

Bella nodded. "I, um, Jake and I, we were, um…" she trailed off, looking to Jacob for help.

"What she's trying to say is that after the imprint, Bella and I were less than careful. I haven't scented anything different or heard another heartbeat, but.."

"A heartbeat wouldn't be detectable even to your ears until around six weeks after implantation." He briskly used a cloth and warm water to wash the dried blood from her legs. "I can certainly run a test, and do an ultrasound, but given the timeline, it would be very early to see anything other than a gestational sack. We wouldn't know for several weeks if there's any damage to the fetus from the trauma. The best we could hope for would be that we could get either a positive or negative result at this point in time."

"Run the test."

Carlisle nodded. "I'll draw blood when we're finished here." He perched on his stool, rolled between her legs. "Okay, now I need you to put your feet in the stirrups. You'll feel a pinch as I inject the medicine to numb you, and then you shouldn't feel anything other than pressure while I suture you."

Bella looked at Jake, embarrassed tears in her eyes. "Can you wait outside? I really, really don't want you to see me like this."

Jake nodded, bent to kiss her forehead gently. "I'll be right outside. Would you like Emily or Esme to come in and be here with you?"

"I don't want Emily to see it either. She's been through enough."

"Esme it is." He left the room, nodded to Esme, who laid a hand on his arm as she entered the room, going immediately to Bella's side, taking her hand gently in her cool ones. Emily was at the kitchen table, Sam sitting next to her, Embry, Quil, Seth and Leah standing in the kitchen. Alice and Jasper sat on the couch, hands linked. Everyone was silent.

Jake went to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of beer and drained it in one gulp. He slammed the door to the fridge, then with a tortured yell, threw the bottle against the wall, shattering it. Emily stood, rounded the island and stood in front of him.

"She needs you to be strong." She wrapped her arms around Jacob, holding him tightly. "She was brave, Jacob. She was so brave. When she saw him come in, she grabbed me and stood in front of Levi and I. She wasn't scared for herself. She tried to get him to let me go, and when he wouldn't, she offered herself to him. She was going to let him turn her to save us. She was worried about how you would take it. Asked me to take care of you. And when he did what he did, she didn't beg, but she fought. She fought so hard. She wanted to come back to you. She did everything she could to make sure we got out of there alive. And now she needs you to be strong for her."

With a strangled sob, Jacob collapsed into Emily's arms. She stumbled two steps under his weight, but kept her arms around him. His tears were hot on her neck and he held her as tightly as he dared, crumbling under the weight of what had happened.

Leah pushed off the counter, went to Jake, slipped under one of his arms to support some of his weight, wrapping her arm around his waist, laying her head against his shoulder in a gesture of support. Without a word, Embry stood and went to his other side, placing a hand on Jake, reaching around him to grab Leah's hand in his other. One by one, Sam, Quil and Seth joined them, surrounding Jake with strength and support and love. No one teased him for his tears, no one spoke. They just let him cry until the tears ran dry. Until his sobs turned to choking gasps, and eventually he grew quiet. Then, Sam nudged them all back, took Jacob by his shoulders.

"We are a family. We are here for you, whatever you need. Bella too. We'll cover your patrols, we'll take care of food and grocery shopping, everything. You need anything, you say the word and you'll get it. We're here for as long as you need us. There is no shame in feeling what you feel. If it were Emily, I'd be hysterical." He hugged Jacob hard, stepped back. "You're our brother. We will get you both through this. No matter how hard it is, or how long it takes."

Jake nodded, ran his hands over his face. "Bella thinks she might be pregnant." His voice was ragged as he collapsed into a chair. "We were stupid when she was first here. Not in the last three weeks, not since before the binding ceremony, but the night after the imprint, and the night the Cullens got back here. We all know what happens when we have sex with the imprint without anything. God, I didn't even think about it. And now she has to deal with this and a baby? How much can one woman go through? He's been torturing her for the last three years, then I knock her up, and she gets brutalized." He laid his head in his hands. "I wouldn't blame her if she never lets me touch her again."

Leah sat down across from him. "I haven't ever liked Bella. But the past few weeks, since she's been back, I've gotten to know her. She's made of sterner stuff than that, Jake. This will be a struggle, I don't pretend it won't be, but when you've got as much support as she does, as many people who love her around, she'll be okay. And if she is pregnant, then that's something good for her to focus on, for her to hold onto."

"Carlisle said even if she is, that it'll be weeks before we'll know if what that bastard did will make her lose it." He sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do for her."

"She'll let you know." Emily lined mugs up on the counter, put a pan on the stove for hot chocolate.

Everyone turned when the door upstairs opened and Carlisle came out, walking to the railing. "Jake? She's ready for you to come back up."

Review! There's a lot more to come.


	19. Chapter 19

The response I've gotten from the last chapters has been amazing! Thank you all so much for coming on the journey with me. I think this will wrap up around 30 chapters, I've got 24 written, so we're getting into the home stretch. My original is moving now, so it's harder for me to keep my focus on writing fanfic since it's really just a break from original works for me. I love this world and I love playing in it. The characters, the plots, there's so much that an author could do. But for me, writing is more than a hobby, it's what I'm supposed to do, so when my muse is letting me write my own, I feel that's what I should be doing.

Thank you for being amazing readers. I hope you'll stick with me until the end. I promise it'll be worth it.

Chapter Eighteen

Bella was wearing a pair of pajamas, navy blue silk, with a delicate floral pattern. Her hair had been washed and brushed, and plaited into a French braid. Esme was hurriedly bundling the shreds of her clothing and the blanket into a pile, whisking it from the room. Instead of in the hospital bed, she was in one of the guest rooms, ensconced in a cavernous bed, propped up on pillows and covered with a quilt. She was pale, she was bruised, and the IV lines leading into her looked stark against her pale skin.

When Jake entered the room, she looked up, held out one hand. It was all he needed to see. He slid onto the bed next to her, nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in her scent just to reassure himself that she was going to be okay. For several minutes, they just laid together, not saying anything, just being.

Finally, Carlisle knocked on the door and opened it, pushing a large machine across the floor. He offered a smile, set about plugging in the equipment and turning it on. He took in a breath he didn't need, let it whoosh out, seemingly trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say.

"Is something wrong?" Bella's voice was tiny and weak, but somehow filled with concern for the vampire.

"No, no, nothing is wrong, Bella. Shall I tell Jacob how to care for you?" he looked at her, then continued when she nodded. "I've sutured the tears, some of which were severe. When she was penetrated, the unforgiving nature of vampire flesh caused her body to stretch too far, resulting in tears of the tissue inside and around the vaginal cavity. Her pelvic bones have been fractured, most likely from having been slammed into multiple times. This created a slight dilation in the cervix, which could have allowed bacteria to enter her uterus. I'm giving her antibiotics to fight off any infection. There are no fractures in the extremities, though two of her ribs are fractured. I've bound them with a wrap to keep her from trying to over-expand her chest, which would cause her pain.

"Over the next week to ten days, I'll check her sutures several times to make sure that the healing is progressing at an acceptable rate. I'm writing a prescription for some anti-inflammatory and anti-itch ointment to keep the stitches from being bothersome. Someone will need to go pick that up. If she pulls a stitch, which given the delicate nature of the placement is possible, there may be some bleeding. If she begins to bleed, you'll need to bring her back here immediately for me to ascertain the cause. Any fever or chills and I'll need to see her as well. You'll need to keep her comfortable, rested and dry. Sponge baths only, and pat dry, do not rub. No sexual activity for at least four weeks to allow her ribs and cervix to heal. I'm also prescribing some pain medication, and oral antibiotics so she doesn't have to stay hooked up to the IV." He paused, and couldn't help the smile that passed over his lips. "There's also an iron supplement, a folic acid supplement, and some prenatal vitamins."

Bella's hands flew to her mouth, and she gaped at Carlisle, her eyes wide. "The test is positive?"

"It was. Your HcG levels are consistent for around three weeks post fertilization, which would mean a five week gestation. I've brought the ultrasound in to take a look, though I warn you now, it is extraordinarily unlikely that we will be able to see a heartbeat. I fully expect to see nothing more than a gestational sack, which is the amniotic fluid filled pouch where the fetus will develop. We won't be able to see any development of the fetus for three to five more weeks. In about a week to ten days, we may be able to see a heartbeat, but it's not a concern unless we don't see one within the next three weeks. As I told you before, it will be a few weeks until we know what damage, if any, the trauma has done to the pregnancy. If you begin cramping or bleeding, it is imperative that you get to me as soon as possible. There's not normally much to be done to stop a miscarriage, but we can care for you during, and test your progesterone levels, which is reversible if that is the cause." He paused, looked between Bella and Jacob. "Would you like a minute to talk before the ultrasound?"

Jake shook his head. "I want to see." He took one of Bella's hands in both of his, brought it to his lips gently. "Is that okay, Bells? Can we see our baby?"

Bella nodded, tears swimming in her eyes. "I want to see, too."

"Okay. Jake, please remove the quilt for me. Bella, we're going to need to do this one transcervically, because you're so early. Given your injuries, I'm going to have to be extremely gentle. If you feel uncomfortable at anytime, just speak up and we'll stop immediately. There is no medical reason we have to do an ultrasound right now. This is going to require penetrating you with this wand," he held up a slim plastic wand, "in order to bounce ultrasonic waves through your cervix to get a picture on the monitor of the contents of the uterus. You'll feel some pressure when I insert it." He pulled on gloves, sat on the bed by her knees. "Are you comfortable moving forward?"

Bella looked at Jake, uncertainty in her eyes. He leaned down, pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We don't have to, baby. Not if it'll make you uncomfortable. We can wait."

She shook her head. "I want to see, to make sure it's okay." She wiped her eyes. "I'm just a little scared."

"Do you want Esme to come back in, to hold your other hand?" Jake bristled at the thought of a vampire bringing comfort to his imprint, but not even his wolf could argue that Esme had very strong maternal instincts.

Bella shook her head. "She can come in if she wants to see. I know she's probably dying to." She offered a shy smile. "But this is something happy. I think, do you think it would be okay to ask Emily if she wants to come in? She went through something so bad with me today, it feels right to let her be here for the good."

Jake felt his heart swell with love for the tiny brunette in the huge bed. He kissed her hand again, slipped off the bed. "I'm sure it would be fine. I'll go get her." He looked at Carlisle. "You'll wait for me to get back?"

They both understood it wasn't a question. Carlisle nodded. "We'll be right here."

He slipped from the room, loped down the stairs three at a time. Esme and Emily were silently working in the kitchen, preparing a meal to feed the hungry werewolves. They looked up when Jake swung into the kitchen, as did Sam, Embry, Seth, Leah, and Quil, all of whom were still sitting at the table.

"Bella's pregnant." He paused to let the cheers die down as his pack celebrated the only bright spot of a supremely horrible day. "Carlisle is going to do an ultrasound to see if everything is okay." His eyes darkened. "That sick bastard fractured her pelvis cramming his dick into it so hard and her cervix is slightly open. We won't know for a while whether or not she'll miscarry." The excited laughter turned to angry silence almost instantly as they all thought about what Edward had potentially taken from Bella with one act. Esme gripped the counter so hard that she cracked it. "Em, Bella wanted me to come tell you that she'd like you to share the happy part of today if you want to. Esme, you too."

Esme shook her head, her face showing a myriad of emotions. "I would love to see a picture, but this is something for your family. A private moment. I won't intrude on it."

Emily dashed tears from her eyes. "Sorry, I'm not so noble. I want to see my godchild." She smiled brightly at Jacob, followed him up the stairs and into the bedroom. She rushed to Bella, sweeping the younger woman into a hug, their ordeal having bonded them in a way that no one else would ever understand.

Once Jacob was again settled next to Bella, Carlisle turned off the light and squirted some lubricant on the wand. He sat gently on the side of the mattress, helped Bella position her legs where he needed them. Within thirty seconds, a fuzzy picture appeared on the screen.

"Okay, this here is your bladder, there's a spleen. Here we can see one ovary, which looks undamaged, as does the fallopian tube." He rotated the wand, and the image changed. "The other ovary and tube is fine as well. And here," he pointed to a black spot on the screen, "is the uterus." He shifted the wand, turned a dial on the machine. "The lining of the uterus is an appropriate thickness, and it does not appear to be shedding. That's a good sign. The mucus on the cervix is relatively thick, which will offer some protection, also a good sign." He pushed a button, magnified the image. "Okay, here we have a gestational sack." He zoomed in on the bubble, "Well, well, well."

"What is it?" Bella's voice was thin and scared. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Bella, there are two sacks. Twins." He brought up the picture. "See, you can see two distinct sacks from this view. The speck in the center? That's the baby. Well, one of them anyway." He studied the screen. "Attachment to the wall looks good. I like that it's up high on the uterine wall, that can help avoid problems later on." He withdrew the wand, draped a sheet over her legs and tore off a picture. "Any questions?"

"Anything I need to make sure she eats?" Emily spoke quietly from the side of the bed. "Bella's a great cook, but she's going to need some help for a few days. I just have Levi, so I know some of the things to avoid, but with twins I imagine it's different."

"She just needs to eat more. Typical weight gain with a twin pregnancy is fifty to seventy pounds. The breakdown of that is ideally around twelve to fifteen pounds in baby, another ten to twelve in placenta, five to seven in fluid, two or three in increased breast tissue, and three to four in increased blood. That's thirty two to forty two pounds just in the products of pregnancy. I'd like to see her maintain her weight in the first trimester, gain approximately one pound per week in the second, and two pounds per week in the third. I don't want to see any less than a thirty five pound weight gain in the coming months. I'd be more comfortable with at least forty five, but given the environment and the stressors, that might be a lofty goal. Emily, to answer your question, more fruit and vegetables. Lean meats, complex carbohydrates. Whole grains, plenty of water and milk, and balanced meals. Eliminate as much processed foods as possible, and just be aware of cooking things through. No rare meat."

"What do I need to avoid?"

"The obvious ones like alcohol, cigarettes, and any illicit drugs." He chuckled at that. "Not that you do any of those. Be aware of lunch meats, not too much fish, it has mercury in it which can be harmful. Don't lift more than twenty five pounds, and even then try not to lift it above your head. Baths should not exceed one hundred and two degrees, and no more than three hundred milligrams of caffeine per day."

Jake rubbed his finger over Bella's knuckles. "Does she need to be on bed rest?"

"My goodness, no. She'll need to rest the next week or so while she heals, but after that, Bella can do any activity that she feels up to. Pregnant women can exercise, cook, run errands, work jobs, have sex, do whatever they feel like doing until the very end. Her body will tell her what she can and can't do." Carlisle smiled. "You'll need to see me every couple days until we locate heartbeats. After that, unless you experience bleeding or cramping, we'll check you every two weeks until you're out of the first trimester, at which point we'll see you once per month until you're at thirty weeks, and then back to every two weeks until thirty six, and then it's twice a week." He reached over, patted her knee. "I know it's a lot, and given what you went through today, I cannot imagine the emotions you're having right now, so I'll leave you to talk to Jacob. I'll be in my study if you need anything at all."

Hours had passed since the ultrasound. Bella had napped off and on, each time she woke finding someone else in her room. Jacob, Emily, Esme, even Leah taking a shift to watch over her. At one point, she'd lain awake in the dark, Leah sitting next to the bed, Leah knowing Bella was awake, and Bella knowing Leah knew, neither saying anything.

She wasn't sure how to process what had happened to her. Edward had raped her. He had forced himself into her body and brutalized her. Every time she thought of it, she wanted to cry, to curl in a ball and sink into the depression that kept threatening to overtake her. He had taken from her something she would never be able to get back. Jacob had been the only one she'd ever given herself to, the only one she'd intended to ever give herself to. Edward had stolen that from her, that ability to know that Jake had been her one and only.

He'd taken her dignity, her ability to control what happened to her body. She felt betrayed, and violated, and angry, and terrified, all at the same time. But she didn't feel scared. Jacob's hands, Carlisle's exam, neither had made her scream and thrash in terror. Even the ultrasound, with that wand, had been uncomfortable, but not horrific. Just that, the ability to cordon off what had happened to her, to relegate it to a box and separate it from the touch of other men, it both comforted and distressed her. She was immensely glad that she could accept a hug from Jacob, that Carlisle could examine her, and she was not flinching away. At the same time, she was horrified that she wasn't.

Finally, her back turned to Leah, tears slipping down her cheeks as she battled her demons, she opened her mouth and whispered. "Will he ever want to touch me again?"

If Leah was surprised, she didn't let it show in her voice. "Jake loves you. He'll never let this come between you. What Edward did, it bothers him, but not because it changes you to him. Only because he worries about what it's doing to you."

"I don't want to think about it every time Jake and I are together. I don't want him to wonder if Edward touched me there every time he puts his hands on me."

"He won't. You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because you didn't have sex with Edward. You didn't let him do what he did. Jake won't blame you for what happened to you. You couldn't stop it, Bella. You saved Emily's life, Levi's life. No one looks at you any differently. No one thinks badly of you."

"He raped me."

"Yes, he did. Want a prize?"

Bella sat up, her whole body rebelling. "What the hell, Leah?"

Leah sighed. "Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not making light of it. What happened to you was horrific and brutal, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. What I'm saying, is look on the bright side, because there is one. If you hadn't let him do what he did, you might be dead. Emily and Levi might be dead. The whole lot of you might be going through the transition to become vampires. In the grand scheme of things, this is actually the best possible outcome. You're all still alive, and have heartbeats." She crossed her legs casually, toyed with the end of her hair. "Bella, you're braver than I ever gave you credit for, and what you did, took some serious guts. You knew what he was going to do, and you made a decision to let it happen to buy time for us to get to you. That takes iron clad balls. So that tells me that you've got enough in you to come back from it, to not let it define who you are, or the relationships that you have. He didn't take anything from you. He did something to you. You're not damaged or worth less, or less desirable to Jacob. You're not weaker, or stupid, or a victim. You were victimized, but you are not a victim unless you let yourself be. You didn't when he did what he did, and I expect that you would be now."

Bella thought about Leah's words for a minute, then flopped back down onto the bed. "You're a real bitch."

"And I'm right."

She couldn't deny that there was the tenor of truth in Leah's words. "What if I'm scared to let him touch me when it's time?"

"Then you tell him that, you go slow, and you take control. Tie him up, strap him down, whatever you need to do to feel like you can. This doesn't have to interfere with your intimacy with Jake unless you let it." Leah stood to walk to the window. "Why in fuck's name are you talking to me about this anyway?"

"Because you won't treat me like a china doll. If I wanted babied, I'd ask someone else. You'll tell me the truth. Even if I don't want to hear it."

"Damn straight I will." Her face softened. "It's not right, what he did. He deserved to die for it, and I'm glad that he did. But you didn't. You get to keep living. And this isn't something that's going to go away. You'll think about it, you'll feel bad, guilty, sad, whatever it is that you feel. And you should feel it. No one wants to take away what you feel, or make light of how you feel. You'll have bad days, but there will be some days that you might not even think about it, or him, and that's okay too. You want my advice? Give yourself permission to feel whatever you want to feel. Relief, guilt, sadness, anger, whatever it is, feel it. And cherish the good moments. Yeah, you went through something horrible. But you get to come home to Jacob, who thinks you're his whole world, to the pack, who loves you like a sister, even to the bloodsuckers, who somehow genuinely seem to care about you, which still blows my fucking mind. And now you get to be a mom. There's nothing more incredible than that, so hold onto it."

Bella sat up again, this time throwing off the blankets and placing her feet on the ground. "You're pretty good at this, for a hard ass."

Leah pushed off the wall, helped support Bella's weight as she stood. "Don't sell me out to the boys. They'll never let me live it down."

"Your secret's safe with me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm hungry. I think I'll let Esme cook for me."

"It's four in the morning, Swan. You're gonna have to fend for yourself."

Bella grinned as they left the room. "That's the joy of being in a house full of vampires. They don't sleep." She sucked in a breath as they descended the stairs. Sure enough, Esme was in the living room, stretched out on the couch, a book in hand. She sprang to her feet when she heard them coming down the stairs.

"Bella, darling, you shouldn't be up. Are you okay?"

"She's hungry."

Esme rushed into the kitchen, hurriedly tied on her apron. "What would you like, sweetheart?"

Bella laughed, looked at Leah with a smug smile. "Told ya so."


	20. Chapter 20

I am sooo sorry that this has been a whole week between updates. Thank you to everyone who PMd to check on me. I appreciate it a lot. I wish I had some epic reason why I haven't updated, but the truth is I had a supremely busy week and simply didn't have time. In my real life, I'm a wife, mother, student and a lawyer and all of those roles needed a lot of attention this week. My days started at 6 and mostly ended after midnight. So in those few hours, I decided to sleep. Regardless, I'm sorry, and here's your chapter. I have through chapter 23 written, so there might be a bit more space between chapters from that point on as I'm writing it. I anticipate between 7-10 more chapters. So enjoy and let me know what you think.

Ultimately, it had made the most sense for Bella to remain in the bedroom at the Cullens manor so that Carlisle could keep a close eye on her. Jacob spent every moment he wasn't on patrol there with her, and she was never without a wolf escort, but even that was beginning to feel unnecessary. The more the pack was around the Cullens, the less they viewed them as a threat. They were sharing a space, patrolling together, sometimes even relaxing together. Emmett and Seth had formed a fast friendship, and spent their time off going to Port Angeles to watch movies and play video games in the arcade. Rosalie was a hit with Quil and Embry, and was picking up all of the slack in the shop, and they'd soon discovered that she was a magician with a car.

Esme and Emily had formed an immediate bond, with a love of cooking, and their maternal tendencies. Alice and Bella were, of course, best friends, and spent many afternoons talking and spending time together. Leah had, against all odds, become friendly with Jasper, finding that she could respect him, and his single minded determination to keep his family safe, and to avoid any danger to those he loved. He was also a man of few words, which she liked. Carlisle was respected by everyone, vampire and werewolf alike, and he and Sam could often be found in his study, heads bent over maps, charting out patrolling schedules and routes to make the most efficient use of their man, and wolf, power.

They had settled into some sort of a routine, and they were all relatively at ease with one another. Dinners were a raucous event, held in the Cullen house as often as they were on La Push. The Cullens had had a funeral for Edward, burying his ashes in the baseball field, and staying together there for several hours, reminiscing over their memories of him before he'd been taken by the Volturi. For whatever monster he'd become, in his last moments, he'd been himself, the Edward that they had loved, desperate to sacrifice himself to save Bella. Bella had defied Jacob and attended the funeral.

She'd found that her feeling were complicated. She grieved for the man that she had once loved, for the boy who had made her want to spend eternity with him. She felt anger at the monster that had brutalized her, relief that he was gone, that he could no longer come after her. Some nights, she would wake up screaming from nightmares about what he'd done to her, clawing her way from sleep in tears, clamoring for the light next to the bed, checking herself for blood and bruises. Those nights, after the dreams, she mostly spent the remainder of the night sitting up with Esme, watching late night infomercials, Esme stroking her hair gently. If Jacob was there, on nights he wasn't patrolling, he would hold her in the dark, tucked in his arms, and murmur to her that she was safe until eventually she drifted back off.

Her body healed, and after eleven days, the stitches were removed. Two days after that, Carlisle found the heartbeats of her babies for the first time, and she'd lain in tears on the exam table, listening to the fast beating as it came through the ultrasound machine. Jacob had held her hand to his lips, his own eyes glistening with emotion. They'd seen the babies turn, twist, dance, and their hearts beat strongly.

As her body healed, so had her mind. She thought about it less as the marks from the assault had faded. Leah had been right. After a few weeks, she went entire days without thinking about it. She found she could function, that she could laugh, and that as she became able to exist outside of what had happened to her, everyone else stopped looking at her like she would snap at any moment. Eventually, without her noticing, things went back to normal.

Except for one thing. Jacob would not touch her. He would hold her at night to sleep, comfort her if a nightmare woke her, and hug her goodbye when he left for patrols, and when he got back, but he'd not made one single move toward being romantic or intimate with her. He would occasionally drop a chaste kiss on her lips, but never would he try to push her for something more. Even when the bruises were gone, and no signs of the rape were left, he wouldn't touch her.

And it wasn't that Bella wanted sex. She wasn't sure if she did, if she could go through with it. But she wanted to feel close to him, to know that he still desired her, that he still wanted for things to go back to the way that they had. Instead, she was afraid that they would always be cold and clinical between them.

Finally, after getting the all clear from Carlisle, she was able to go back to Jacob's house, to the room that they shared, to the little red house with the sagging porch and the decade old couch. After that, it was Emily who eventually figured out that something was going on, and showed up at their door, a pan of lasagna in her hands, and plans to stay with Bella for most of the day. Relieved, Jake had hurriedly gotten his stuff together and headed to the shop to get caught up on the paperwork he'd been neglecting for more than two months.

"How are you feeling?"

Bella handed Emily a mug of tea, wrapped her hands around her own. "Honestly? I feel fine. I'm healed, I feel good, no morning sickness, I'm at twelve weeks now, so past the risky part. Carlisle said it looks like there was no damage done to the babies in the attack. I'm still having nightmares, but it's not as frequent. They're getting better."

"I have nightmares too. I wake up drenched in sweat, clawing at Sam like he's the only thing that will ever calm me down. I think about what I had to see, how bad it shook me, and I can't imagine what it was like for you to actually go through it." She laid her hand over Bella's. "I know I've offered before, but if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you, Bella."

"I feel guilty that you were there, that Levi was in danger. I never wanted that. It bothers me, I won't lie and tell you it doesn't, but it's not the only thing I think about. I have the babies to focus on, and Jake, and hell, the Volturi haven't forgotten we're here. They're still coming at some point. I just try not to let myself dwell on what happened, and honestly, it seems to be working for the most part."

"Has Alice seen when they're coming?"

"She looks all the time, and she sees them considering it, talking about it, trying to get ahold of Edward. They've mobilized some scouts to come here and check, but just some muscle, and she's been able to see where and when, so they're not too worried about it yet. The patrols have been able to take care of those ones."

"Sam's told me they've had four kills in the last two weeks. They expect it to continue. Are they all Volturi?"

"Alice says no. They're using nomads, other covens in the area to come here. They have power. She said something about another dozen or so before it would spur the leaders to climb down off their thrones and come here."

"How are things with you and Jake?"

Taken off guard at the abrupt change of subject, Bella laughed. "Awkward. We don't talk about what happened. And we haven't had sex since then. Carlisle cleared me nine days ago and still nothing. I'm not even sure I want to, or that I can, but I want to find out. I want to make him see that I'm okay, that we'll be okay."

"He's probably afraid he'll hurt you, or that it will remind you of what Edward did."

"No! He would never remind me of that. Jacob is gentle, and loving, and cares about me. He's warm, and soft, and everything that Edward wasn't. He was cold, and hard, and brutal. He didn't care if he literally split me in half. It was nothing like with Jacob."

"I know that, and I'm sure you know that, but does Jake?"

"And what? I just sit down with him tonight and tell him I want to talk about sex and how what happened shouldn't keep us from having it?"

"Basically, yeah." Emily smiled into her tea. "Never underestimate what communication can do. After the accident with my face, Sam didn't touch me for three months. I was healed, I had forgiven him, but he hadn't forgiven himself for letting it happen to me. So I understand that part of it. You have to talk to him, tell him that you miss the intimacy, that you want to explore it. If he's anything like his brother, he'll be reluctant to do it. If he drags his feet too long, well, I've never known a man who would object to being woken up by having his imprint climb on top of him naked."

Bella nearly choked on her tea at Emily's matter of fact voice. "You say that as if you've had some experience with it."

"I had to get Sam going somehow." She shrugged. "Just make sure you're ready before you do anything. You're never going to know how you'll react to being faced with a penis again until you are."

"Honestly? It's like a dream almost. I know it happened, I know how bad it was. If I close my eyes, I can see it all over again, every detail. I can feel him on me, in me, and it makes me want to throw up. But when I look at Jake? It's all a little bit better. He makes it a little bit more bearable. And when I think of how it was with him before this all happened, how gentle he was with me, how passionate, it makes me think that he could take it away. Sex isn't supposed to be scary, and it isn't supposed to be traumatic. It's supposed to be beautiful and wonderful and something shared between people who care about each other. Edward, what he did to me, it makes me afraid, it makes me want to cry for what he did, for who he made me think I am. I'm not scared of being with Jake. I don't know that it'll go well, or that I won't burst into tears in the middle, or get so scared when he's naked that I'll make everything worse. I don't think a rape is something you ever get over, it's just something that you learn to deal with, and I'll never know how I'll deal with it in the face of intimacy until I try. I just don't want to hurt him if we try and it doesn't work. Because it has nothing to do with him, and it has nothing to do with me wanting him." She sighed. "I don't think I'm making sense."

"No, you absolutely are. What you went through was awful. He did something brutal to you. And you need to take back your power as a woman, to be able to decide what you do with your body and when. Whether that means not having sex for a year, or screwing him ten times in one day, it doesn't matter. It just needs to be your decision. I've never been through what you have, so I may be completely off base, but it seems to me that you need to be the one who decides. That's what Edward took. The right to decide what to do with your body. You need to take it back. And once you do, once you take control back from him, then you'll really start to heal."

Bella nodded, took a sip of her tea. "I think that makes a lot of sense, Em. I was powerless to stop him, and that's maybe what bothers me the most."

"Bella, I couldn't have done what you did. Lay there and let him to save someone else." Emily's eyes filled with tears. "I don't think I've ever met anyone braver in my life. You literally threw yourself in front of me and my son, offered your life to save ours. I'm never in a hundred years going to be able to thank you enough for that." She reached across the table, took Bella's hand. "We're lucky to have you back. Jake is lucky that you're back. You bring joy to him. He wants to make you happy, and he's so in love with you he can't see straight. Even before the imprint he loved you. You'll figure this out and get through it."

"I loved him too. Even before. I always have." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to see what you saw. I know that had to be awful for you."

Before Emily could answer, Paul came in the kitchen door, wearing his tool belt around his waist, and holding a roll of blueprints. He plopped them on the table, went straight to the fridge for a soda. "This place needs to be bigger if you're going to have two babies here." He sat down at the table, spread out the prints. "I've been working on these the last couple weeks. I've got a lot of the lumber left over from another job, and the pack will pitch in the labor. I've designed it so that we'll expand the kitchen six feet out, and then build off the back, around the whole backside of the house, both stories. Down here, that will expand the living room, and give you an office so that you can work. Billy's room down here will turn into a bathroom, I'll throw up a wall and give you a pantry for the kitchen. Upstairs, I'll make another bathroom and master bedroom in the addition, and then give you two more bedrooms, so you'll have four bedrooms and two baths upstairs."

Bella gaped at him, looked at the blueprints, then back up at Paul. "Why?"

Paul's eyes softened, and he ruffled her hair playfully. "Because you need more room."

"Does Jake know?"

"He will when he gets home. It was Seth's idea, actually, so I can't take all the credit." He stood, leaned over her shoulder. "Do you like it?"

"It's fantastic. But I'm still not understanding."

Paul laughed, started rifling through cabinets, pulled out a package of cookies. "You're pregnant. With two. That means you need more room in this house to have two babies. It's needed work for years. Now it can't wait anymore. Seth suggested building on a couple weeks ago, and I thought it's a great idea." He looked at her, serious for a moment. "We take care of our own, Bella. So let us do this for you."

Not quite sure why Paul being nice was so emotionally overwhelming, Bella burst into tears.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty

_"Dude, this is seriously too much. I'd have told you not to do that."_

Paul sighed inside Jacob's head as they ran. "_Get over it, bro. Once Seth brought it up to me, it made perfect sense. And you're not getting out of it unscathed. You're on the hook for the materials I have to buy. So it's not free, just free labor. But what better to spend money on?"_

Jacob huffed._ "I hate using any of the money the Cullens gave Bella. But Bella is insisting on it. She calls it her contribution. Like she has to pay her way or something."_

_ "Female pride. Just let her and enjoy it."_

_ "Does Rachel know what you're doing?"_

Jake felt rather than heard the strife when he brought up his sister. Paul's mind went to a fight with Rachel screaming and throwing things, and Paul sleeping on the couch._ "Let's just say she's not Bella's biggest fan."_

_ "She's my imprint."_

_ "I know that, you know that, the rest of the pack knows that. Your big sister? She pretends it isn't happening and that Bella is still eighteen and a stupid twit. Because, man, come on, she was a stupid twit. But saving Emily and Levi? That makes her okay in my book. And she's having your puppies. What more can we ask her to do to prove she wants to be here?"_

_ "Want me to talk to her?"_

_ "Hell no! If she finds out I showed you how big a bitch she's being, it'll make her an even bigger on. She's five weeks from her due date, and hormonal as fuck. I just want to get through this so she doesn't keep me out of the goddamn delivery room. Which she nearly did when Sarah was born because she thought I was too friendly with the waitress at the diner."_

_ "Does she not understand what an imprint is?"_

_ "Oh, she knows. And she uses it to her advantage mercilessly. And dude, don't get me wrong, I adore your sister. It's not just the imprint. She's amazing. It's just the last fucking trimester. She gets moody and insane. It's the hormones. It evens out about six weeks after the baby, so I just have three more months of this to get through and then it'll be normal again."_

_ "Until you knock her up again."_

_ "Never gonna happen. I am done after this."_

_ "Yeah, but is she?"_

Paul laughed._ "I don't care. I'm getting snipped. No more little Lahotes. Two is enough for me. We honestly can't afford a third."_

_ "Money tight?"_

_ "Nah, we do okay. Construction is off and on, and right now more off than on being winter. But Rach has her salary from the Council, which helps. What doesn't help is that she's been off work for eight weeks because of her blood pressure. By the time she goes back, she'll have been off for almost five months. We didn't expect that, but we're handling it."_

_ "If you need something, you know you only have to ask."_

_ "I know, and we would. But we're okay. I just know that with my job, and this, and her job and what we make, a third would stretch it a little too thin. She got pregnant a lot quicker than we wanted. Sarah is only just now two."_

_ "You know how to prevent it."_

_ "I know, I know. In my defense, your sister told me she couldn't get pregnant while she was nursing. And Sarah was eighteen months before she got her off that."_

_ "Okay, I don't want to know any of the details. Do you think Rach is going to be up to having Christmas together?"_

_ "I can ask her. I wouldn't hold your breath though. Bella is a naughty word in our house."_

_ "Yeah, well, with the holidays, I had hoped she could put it aside. I'd like to see Sarah, and Bella has been going on and on about thanking you. She said something about a trip to Port Angeles tomorrow to look at shit?"_

_ "Not shit, bro. Countertops, tile, and cabinets. I need to get it ordered so it's ready to go in once I've got the addition drywalled. It's completely framed in, and Seth is spraying in insulation tomorrow, so we're about there. I guess the vampire mother, Esme? Yeah, Esme. She's going with us."_

_ "You gonna be okay with that?"_

There was a moment of silence, and then a sigh._ "Yeah, I think so. I mean, they've been here for almost two months, and nothing bad has happened. They took good care of Bella after the Edward incident, and I can't find anything to bitch about. If it was there, I would. But they make patrolling easier, Rosalie does a hell of a job in at your shop, and Emmett can swing a hammer pretty decent. I don't like them being here, but I can't come up with a reason to kick them out, especially not with the vampire king still coming."_

_ "I don't want to, man, but I think I kinda like them. Bella lights up when they're around, and they treat her like a part of the family. I was afraid they'd try to get her to turn again, but I really think they're all glad that she's a human, that she's here."_

_ "Are we gonna let them stay after this is all over?"_

_ "I don't know how they could. They don't age. People in Forks would already be talking about it if they knew they were here. I'm sure they'll visit, and that Bella and I will visit them, but I don't think they would be able to stay, even if they wanted to." _Jake thought for several minutes_. "But if they figured it out, I don't know that I would have a problem with it. The longer we're working together, the less of a threat they present to the wolves. I can feel mine getting more at ease, and no one else has phased. We've got some teenagers from the bloodlines, like Colin Littlesea's brother, Andrew. He's seventeen, and nothing."_

_ "That could be because we have enough wolves to handle the threat, not because our wolves aren't recognizing the Cullens as one."_

_ "You could be right. But we'll never know."_

_ "You think about stopping?"_

_ "What, phasing? Yeah, sometimes. After this is over, once it's all settled and there isn't another threat, then yeah, I think I'd like to. We were barely phasing before Bella came back. If another threat comes, then I'm sure the wolves will wake back up."_

_ "I want to be done. I want to raise my kids, and pray to God that they never know the legends are real. I'm sick of Rachel being afraid every time I leave that I'm never coming back."_

_ "Well, hopefully soon. Hey, is Rachel going tomorrow?"_

_ "Fuck, dude, I don't have a deathwish. No way in hell is she going." _Paul froze, his muzzle lifting to the wind. _"Vampire."_

Jacob sniffed, caught the scent of sugar and decaying flesh. He nodded, and the conversation died as they both went into action. They separated, moving in different directions, moving around the vampire to pin it in. Jacob caught a glimpse of blonde hair, a braid swinging behind the vampire, who was a woman, tall and willowy. Her eyes were bright red, and she moved with a natural grace that betrayed her as being supernatural.

Neither Paul nor Jacob needed to say, or think, anything. They were a team, knowing each other completely, able to anticipate the moves the other would make before they did it. Together, they charged the vampire, taking her off guard. Jacob sank his teeth in one of her arms, ripping through the stony flesh, as Paul swept low and went for a leg.

But the vampire was stronger, and she threw Jacob off easily, slamming him into a tree. Before he could even think about getting up, a pain unlike any he had ever felt swept through him, paralyzing him, making him scream out in pain. Paul spared his brother a glance, worried, before continuing the assault on the vampire.

_"Dude, it's Jane! The pain bitch." _Paul's voice sounded in Jacob's head, and he concentrated on helping his brother figure out that it wasn't real. Once he was able to see through Paul's eyes, he was able to shake it off. He'd barely climbed to his feet when Jane turned her power on Paul, and he collapsed, writhing from agony.

Jacob lifted his head and howled, a high pitched howl designed to let the other wolves know that they needed help. Within thirty seconds, Embry's voice popped in, followed by Seth within ten seconds after that.

_"On our way. We'll be to you in less than two minutes." _Embry was galloping as fast as his paws would take him, tearing through the forest, terrified by what he saw and felt through the pack he saw Jacob and Paul get surrounded in a thick white fog, he swore._ "Dammit Jake, it's the stupid fucking wonder twins! Get out of there!"_

Seth flipped his direction, headed back to La Push._ "I'm getting the others. Get to them Embry, and keep them alive!"_

Seth ran as fast as he could, skidded to a stop in Sam's yard and phased, running into the house naked, not even bothering to take time to pull on his shorts. Jared and Kim were in the kitchen with Emily and Sam, Levi and their son Henry playing together on a blanket. Sam looked up when Seth ran in, his eyes going wide.

"Seth Clearwater, if Sue saw you running in here naked she'd take a switch to your ass yet."

"Alec and Jane are here, they're fighting Paul and Jake. It's bad, guys. Embry's on his way. We need more help."

Before the sentence was even out of his mouth, Sam was stripping off his clothes, Jared right behind him. "Em, call Quil and Leah, have them get out here, too. Colin and Brady are to stay here and run circles around the reservation making sure everything is okay here. Call the Cullens, put them on standby."

The three phased, took off, heading back to the sounds of battle. Alec and Jane had been joined by three other vampires, purely muscle, and even with the addition of Embry, they were having a hard time holding their own.

Jake was on three paws, his other one crushed and healing. Paul had bloody furrows down his snout, and was blinking blood out of his eyes. Embry was still unharmed, leaping into the fray, throwing himself at the vampires to protect his brothers. Before the rest of the pack could arrive, Jasper had gotten there from patrolling the Forks side of the line, and they were soon reminded why he was so deadly.

He moved with a speed even faster than the Volturi, striking out, shattering one of the nameless vampires, cracks appearing in the stone chest. He grabbed one arm, swung it around, crashing the body into a tree, felling a giant oak with the force of the collision. But before he could deal a fatal blow, Jane had focused on him, driving him to his knees from the extent of the pain.

"Dammit, dogs, get that fucking bitch!"

Alec couldn't manage to project his power onto eight wolves at once. He managed to keep six of them at bay, but Leah and Quil, who had arrived only moments after Sam, Seth and Jared, leaped onto the male vampire, latching onto his arms with deadly precision. Leah's small grey wolf, and Quil's chocolate brown one tore off the arms in one rip, and Sam, his giant black wolf, emerged through the mist that Alec had projected, fastening his powerful jaws on the head and ripping it from the body.

Once the fog was gone, Jane had no chance. She could only use her ability on one at a time, and it interfered with her ability to fight hand to hand. She tried to run, to escape, but Leah was as fast as she was, and with Jasper's help, chased down Jane and within ninety seconds, the vampire was nothing more than a pile of pieces.

Jacob spat out the head of one of the other vampires, trying to rid himself of the horrendous taste. He looked around, surveying the damage, the pieces of five different vampires, some still wiggling, trying to knit themselves back together. He phased into his human form, yanked up his shorts, followed by his brothers.

"Well that was certainly unexpected."

Jasper rubbed his arm where Jane had taken a chunk out. "Alice's power doesn't cover spur of the moment decisions. And while she's accurate about eight of ten times, sometimes they're wrong. Not often, but it does happen." He pulled a lighter from his pocket, struck it and lit a pile of vampire pieces on fire. They erupted like they'd been coated in gasoline, and the stench that filled the woods made wolf and vampire both feel like retching.

"Everyone okay?" Jake looked around, taking stock of injuries. Paul's face had healed, though he still wore pink marks across his face, where new skin had formed. It would be gone within an hour. Embry was slightly limping from a sprained ankle, and Sam had a cracked rib. All in all, not bad.

"We're going to have to get used to that if they're coming. And that was two of the ones Carlisle told us about, so I don't think it's even an if anymore." Sam looked around. "Okay, Jasper, please go talk to Alice and see if she can pin down a time line a little better. Seth, Quil, you take over patrolling. Jake, get to Carlisle and get that hand looked at before it heals wrong. The rest of you, get some rest. And Jake, I'll bring Bella to our house until you get back. She's been at Sue's most of the day, but I'll feel better with her at home with me."

Jake nodded. "Thanks. Try not to worry her. I'm fine." He looked at his crushed hand, winced. "But yeah, it needs straightened out. Won't take long to heal once it is."

Jasper smiled. "I'll walk with you to the house, since I'm going that way as it is." He clapped Jake on the back. "Very nicely done, son. Jane and Alec are two of the most dangerous. That should be a huge weight off."

Sam shook his head, watched the two men disappear into the forest. Embry raised his brows and Sam shrugged. "Never thought I'd see the day, boys. Never did I think I'd see Jacob Black accept a compliment from a Cullen and not try to rip his fucking head off." He smiled. "Come on, let's get home."


End file.
